Batteries with "single-crystal electrodes" could power electric vehicles (EVs) for millions of miles — meaning their batteries would outlast other parts of the cars, new research shows.

A lithium-ion battery with this new type of electrode has been charging and discharging constantly for six years, retaining nearly 80% of its original capacity. That battery cycled eight times longer than a regular lithium-ion battery — equivalent to an electric car driving 5 million miles (8 million kilometers), researchers reported Nov. 15 in the Journal of The Electrochemical Society.