Research into battery technology is high profile because of the demand for better batteries, but it's good to understand that it isn't the researchers that are

Research into battery technology is high profile because of the demand for better batteries, but it's good to understand that it isn't the researchers that are claiming 'revolutions' are happening, it's a PR exercise. Most progress is iterative and gradual. The research often isn't important because of a big 'breakthrough' but rather because it provides the answer to a small part of a bigger puzzle. As for better batteries (cheaper, better capacity, etc...) not making it to the market, consider the following graph showing the improvements in price and performance of Li-ion batteries between 1991 and 2005: http://i.imgur.com/NjvUGXh.png http://i.imgur.com/NjvUGXh.png