A really good battery, but it still uses lithium (which isn't exactly abundant).
When batteries like this can use (say) sodium (which is almost infinite in its supply) and get similar performance to lithium, then I'll be really interested.

I hope i will still be around the day we all drive electric cars, Please hurry up Scientists!!! :(

Until the batteries and electricity cost less over the life of the car than the fuel that they replace electric cars are a bad idea. And remember if people stop buying gas and diesel the taxes will be placed on something else, it is not in the nature of government to give up cash flow.

Lithium ion batteries are what are catching fire in the new Boeing aircraft! Not sure I want to ride around in a fire trap.
What ever happened to the LiFE (lithium iron) batteries that were the be all to end all a few years ago? They would not ignite, could be charged at very quick and aggressive rates, etc.

any step forward is good by me... nice of tesla to set up free charging systems.

You might think from some of these comments that people didn't actually want new battery technology. I for one am excited about this development. Batteries are lagging behind the rest of our technological progress from consumer devices to automobiles to storage solutions for clean energy. This is great stuff.

someone email elon musk,i'm sure he'd want to invest in this research.

@billybob
"nice of tesla to set up free charging systems. ". Free? We loaned them $465 million dollars in taxpayer money. They've lost money every quarter. They've repaid $29.5 million (not hard to do when you paying back a loan with the money you borrowed but it can't last now can it?). It has to sell all 5,000 of the promised 2013 S type production in order to approach profitability - it has built about 600.
There is no "free".

@mooseman Luckily, you are wrong: Lithium is super abundant. The rumor that it was not had been promulgated by an influential crank and 9/11 conspiracy nut.
@ Joseph Boe There is no free - agreed. But so what? At present we're subsidizing the bloody oil industry, despite gargantuan profits which they use to torpedo clear thinking and alternative energy solutions.

an article about 3 months ago touted a group in washington state univ. that invented a battery with 3 times the power and that they would be producing the batteries within one year. let's have a follow up! Right now Tesla's most expensive battery is supposed to get 300 mile range per charge. This would normally be enough unless you live in high temperatures or cold temperatures. With 3 times the power a tesla driver could probably run a heater or a/c. When the price comes down to where even I could afford it; then everyone will have one...and the government will start taxing electricity and road use. Road use is already being taxed in some places.