Researchers at Tesla have unveiled a design for a new electric vehicle battery that could last up to 100 years before needing to be replaced.

The Tesla Advanced Battery Research division, which formed in 2016, partnered with Dalhousie University in Canada to come up with a nickel-based battery that offers far greater longevity compared to batteries currently used in electric vehicles.

Tesla currently manufactures and uses a type of lithium-ion battery called lithium iron phosphate (LFP), which offers high energy density that allows a longer ranger between charges.

The nickel-based alternative described by the researchers is theoretically able to overcome the energy density and durability limitations of this type of battery, while offering a vastly improved life cycle.

A paper detailing the research, titled ‘Li[Ni0.5Mn0.3Co0.2]O2 as a Superior Alternative to LiFePO4 for Long-Lived Low Voltage Li-Ion Cells’, was published in the Journal of the Electrochemical Society.