That simple calculus worries the experts. Although any comparison of power sources must note that battery cars use energy about three times as efficiently as gasoline cars, storage is the biggest obstacle facing battery vehicles. Some hold substantial promise for replacing the lead-acid battery, but cost remains a key obstacle. In a battery, the two components interact to produce a flow of electrons. In lead-acid batteries, the electrolyte is acid, and the electrodes are lead.
Some exotic batteries use air to oxidize a metal electrode.
But most exotic batteries are simply too expensive for production cars, and some operate at hundreds of degrees Celsius.