Since lithium is one of the lightest elements, it doesn't seem possible to create batteries that will have the same power:weight ratio. MinutePhysics explains

Since lithium is one of the lightest elements, it doesn't seem possible to create batteries that will have the same power:weight ratio. MinutePhysics explains it better than I ever could, basically all the options require lithium: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AdPqWv-eVIc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AdPqWv-eVIc Regarding recycling, you're right, lithium-ion batteries are 100% recyclable. However, the economics don't make it feasible, so it's not going to be done until the that equation changes: https://waste-management-world.com/a/1-the-lithium-battery-recycling-challenge https://waste-management-world.com/a/1-the-lithium-battery-r... > Recycled lithium is as much as five times the cost of lithium produced from the least costly brine based process. It is not competitive for recycling companies to extract lithium from slag, or competitive for the OEMs to buy at higher price points from recycling companies. Though lithium is 100% recyclable, currently, recycled lithium reports to the slag and is currently used for non-automotive purposes, such as construction, or sold in the open-markets. However, with the increasing number of EVs entering the market in the future and with a significant supply crunch, recycling is expected to be an important factor for consideration in effective material supply for battery production. So once the price of lithium increases 500%, recycling will become feasible. All I'm saying is that my intuition on the numbers isn't as optimistic as others. There are diminishing returns on all our natural resources once we pass the peak price for extraction. Lithium is just one of those resources that I feel we're being relatively careless about. In a world where economics favored long-term sustainability over short-term profits we would be increasing the price ahead of time to slow extraction and increase incentives for recycling the invention of lithium-sulfur or lithium-air batteries now, while there is still easily accessible lithium in the ground.