Solid electrolytes can lead the way to safer batteries!

Researchers at a Japanese institute (KEK, no that's not a Reddit joke, that's the letters of the institute) have come up with a substance to act as a solid electrolyte in lithium batteries. But researchers at Tufts University are doing something similar. A solid electrolyte greatly reduces the chance of a "runaway reaction", or spontaneously exploding batteries like Samsung had. But many problems have to be overcome with a battery technology:

1. Self-discharge is bad. It should be low or zero.
2. Should not explode.
3. Should work from -30C to 100C. 
4. If they are rechargeable they should have fairly good recharge time, and the power they can save should not degrade as fast as current technology.
5. They should be cheap enough for consumers. 
6. Ability to scale up production for consumer use.

Source
Phys.org. 2016-03.