Understanding and recent advances on lithium structural batteries

•Structural batteries integrate mechanical and electrochemical functions.•It includes multifunctional materials and systems. Their benefits have been evaluated through models and comparative analysis.•Key challenges, future opportunities and research directions have been discussed. The increasing demand for electric vehicles necessitates advancements in mileage and energy density. Structural batteries, defined as energy storage devices that also serve as load-bearing components, offer significant advantages due to their multifunctional electrochemical storage capabilities. Unlike conventional batteries, which are solely dedicated to energy storage, structural batteries integrate energy storage directly into the vehicle’s structure, thereby reducing overall weight and enhancing efficiency. This review provides a comprehensive analysis of prior research on structural batteries, classifying both multifunctional materials and systems. We introduce several models to assess the overall benefits of these multifunctional components. Comparative analyses are conducted across dimensions such as material selection, manufacturing methods, and electrochemical and mechanical properties. Additionally, we discuss the challenges and opportunities in the field of structural batteries and propose potential strategies and research directions for future development.