Progress in lithium battery technology may be achieved by passing from a conventional liquid electrolyte structure to a solid-state, polymer configuration. In this prospect, great R&D effort has been devoted to the development of suitable lithium conducting polymer electrolytes. In previous papers [F. Croce, L. Se1timi, B. Scrosati, Electrochem. Commun. 8 (2006) 364 [1]; F. Croce, S. Sacchetti, B. Scrosati, J. Power Sources, in press [2]], we have shown that composite membranes based on blends between poly(ethylene oxide) and lithium salts with the dispersion of functionalized ZrO2 ceramic filler, have unique transport and interfacial properties. In this paper, we complete the study of these advanced polymer electrolytes by evaluating their use in rechargeable lithium batteries. The results confirm the practical interest of these electrolytes which appear to be suitable for the fabrication of batteries directed to application in emerging technologies, such as those associated to hybrid and electric vehicles. (C) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.