China’s large fleet of conventional submarines could soon be powered by lithium-ion batteries as a result of advances in the country’s world-leading electric car industry, according to a Chinese navy study.

A lithium power source – instead of lead-acid batteries – could more than double the time a submarine can spend under water, give it Tesla-style acceleration and create more room for weapons, said researchers with the Naval Submarine Academy in Qingdao, Shandong province.

The changes could significantly boost a submarine’s survival and combat abilities, they said in a paper published in peer-reviewed Chinese journal Marine Electric and Electronic Engineering on October 15.