One of the biggest pains in the butt for renewable energy technology has been the storage of energy. But if ReVolt Technology (I know, the name is hilarious) is correct, zinc might provide the most eco-friendly, effective and low-cost battery out there.

The Swiss company received their second round of funding today with a $14 million injection. The money will be used to fund research into the use of zinc as an energy storage medium.

The zinc-air battery works by putting zinc in an electrolyte solution and then exposing it to air. The ensuing chemical reaction results in the release of electrons.

ReVolt claims that zinc-air batteries could outperform lithium-ion by storing up to four times the juice. They also expect that the zinc batteries would hold their charge for longer and be more resistant to shorting. Ainc-air batteries don’t receive their charge from plugging them in either. They get their juice from the addition of more chemicals.

The zinc battery by-product is also interesting in that it apparently can be recycled and used again.

So here’s to a future of possibly driving around in our zinc-powered electric vehicles.