Batteries, for the most part, have remained unchanged for the better part of the last several decades. While some elements have changed in a conventional battery, the size and standard battery life inside of most consumer products and electronics have remained greatly unchanged. At least, that was the case until Stanford University scientists recently announced they had designed a carbon battery with a far superior battery life.

Carbon is an inexpensive material found throughout the world and is used in many different materials, ranging from water filters all the way to air deodorizers. Now, the scientists are still working on what is known as the pore connectivity. Carbon doesn’t have the same kind of connectivity element as is the case with standard batteries, which means there can be a reduction in the continual energy flow, should the pores stop connecting with one another. Once it is completely figured out how to correct this issue, the Stanford battery should prove to be not only more environmentally friendly, but a battery that can drastically increase the amount of energy that can be stored inside of the battery.

The Stanford designer carbon battery is currently undergoing testing where the processing temperature is increased drastically, from 750 degrees to 1,650 degrees (Fahrenheit). This improves the pore volume by 1,000 percent. With the increase in internal temperature, it allows the battery to maintain continual connectivity power. As long as this temperature is maintained, there should be no problem using the carbon battery.

There are all sorts of potential advancements that hinge on this battery potential. It is not just allowing a mobile phone to maintain a longer battery life and to avoid changing the AAA batteries on the remote control as frequently. This can improve the battery life on electric vehicles, which means the charge lasts longer, in turn boosting the driving distance a vehicle can travel without needing a charge. Currently, outside of the Tesla models, most electric vehicles are limited to under a 100 mile driving radius, which makes any real driving road trip impossible to do simply on an electric battery charge. The designer carbon battery may change that. Furthermore, spaceflight and exploration heavily depends on batteries, so with NASA and other international partners working toward restoring the exploration of the moon and Mars—and to also have a sustained human presence on the moon—these kinds of batteries may prove extremely beneficial and helpful for the crew and even all of mankind.