--- description: Find out why South 8 LiGas is one of the best inventions of 2024 title: South 8 LiGas: the 200 Best Inventions of 2024 image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltdda3836187a43439/698a8a249d83e80483b9f2e2/South-8-LiGas-Batteries-best-inventions.jpeg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 --- Oct 30, 2024 # A Longer-Lasting Charge by [Micheline Maynard](/author/micheline-maynard/) ## Micheline Maynard Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close  Lithium-ion batteries have quickly become the standard for powering vehicles, but South 8 CEO Tom Stepien says they have three problems: “fire, cold, and cost.” South 8 addresses all three with [LiGas](https://south8.com/ "undefined"), a liquefied gas electrolyte that, when injected into battery cells, provides a more stable and longer-lasting charge than conventional liquids. While lithium-ion battery fires can burn for up to five to 10 minutes, LiGas batteries burned for just six seconds in a U.S. Army test, reducing fire risk. The LiGas batteries work in minus 60°F, versus minus 30°F for conventional batteries, and cost around $100 per kilowatt hour, versus $150\. LiGas also allows batteries to charge in minutes versus hours. South 8 has a contract with the U.S. Department of Defense and is talking to major car companies. These are independent reviews of the products mentioned, but TIME receives a commission when purchases are made through affiliate links at no additional cost to the purchaser. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Article","@id":"https://time.com/collections/best-inventions-2024/7094815/south-8-ligas/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/collections/best-inventions-2024/7094815/south-8-ligas/"},"headline":"South 8 LiGas: the 200 Best Inventions of 2024","datePublished":"2024-10-30T11:58:05.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T11:54:32.199Z","description":"Find out why South 8 LiGas is one of the best inventions of 2024","url":"https://time.com/collections/best-inventions-2024/7094815/south-8-ligas/","keywords":["Tech","E-Commerce","list","franchise","Magazine","best inventions"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltdda3836187a43439/698a8a249d83e80483b9f2e2/South-8-LiGas-Batteries-best-inventions.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Micheline Maynard","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/micheline-maynard/"}],"creator":"Micheline Maynard","articleSection":"Business","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltdda3836187a43439/698a8a249d83e80483b9f2e2/South-8-LiGas-Batteries-best-inventions.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/business/","name":"Business"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-tech/","name":"Tech"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/collections/best-inventions-2024/7094815/south-8-ligas/","name":"South 8 LiGas: the 200 Best Inventions of 2024"}}]}] ```