Batteries may have grown smaller, become rechargable, and begun to use different internal components, but their lifespan and capacity seems to have changed very little over the years.

Are new battery technologies being held from us ?

Our scientists have managed to create a permanent space station, obviously there is no power source many miles up in space, so they must be using batteries that are recharged through solar energy.  Even non-nuclear Submarines can now spend weeks even months below the surface running on battery power, only able to recharge when on the surface and using diesel engine.

Yet the batteries to our computers have very short life, and those fitted to electric cars struggle to operate over a 100 miles ? ? ?