Although they were invented 40 years ago, lithium batteries are still the most efficient batteries we have, and you can find them in everything from smartphones to electric cars. Traditional batteries were made of lead and sulphuric acid, nickel and cadmium, and they were less reliable. In October, John B. Goodenough, M. Stanley Whittingham and Akira Yoshino were awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for their contributions to the development of lithium batteries. Thanks to these three men, each of us can spend a little less time hunting for a plug.