Lithium-ion batteries are already close to the 20-hour life promised back in 2007 for laptops, but Lithium-sulphur batteries being worked on at Stanford University may improve battery life by 300 per cent. More

Huzzah! Yet another discovery for us to add to our ever-expanding list of “awesome things that’ll never actually happen!” Ibrahim Abou Hamad and colleagues from Mississippi State University have reportedly devised a method of charging batteries that could hasten the process rather significantly, and better still, it could provide “an increase in battery power densities” as well. The only problem? Lithium-ion batteries have been disappointing tech users for years, and so long as Energizer and Duracell are calling the shots, we kind of doubt a lot will be done to improve the longevity of ‘em. Skepticism aside, the new method involves some fancy black magic surrounding molecular dynamics simulations, and researchers have found a way to boost charging time by “simulating the intercalation of lithium ions into the battery’s graphite anode.” We know we just went way over your heads on a Friday afternoon, but if techobabble’s your thing, all you can handle is right there in the Source link. Scientists discover method for rapid charging Li-ion batteries originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 13 Mar 2010 03:19:00 EST

Modern gadgetry (you know, as opposed to “ancient gadgetry,” such as the abacus and the hour glass) lives and dies by its batteries, so it’s no surprise that lots of time and effort is spent researching both wacky alternatives to the tried and true power cell , as well as ways to make existing cells better. Among the latter, Nikkei is reporting that Eamex in Osaka, Japan, has developed a lithium-ion battery that will last some twenty years of regular use — that’s 10,000 charges! The secret to the long-lasting lithium-ion? In current designs, the tin that’s used for the battery’s negative electrode weakens through continual charging and recharging. The new design, however, calls for tin-coated resin that stabilizes the electrode and prevents deterioration. Why didn’t we think of that

The Zero Emission Electric Propulsion Ship is a 100-foot, 800-person ferry that sucks no diesel. Instead, the boat operates from a huge bay of lithium ion batteries, all while looking vaguely like it’s going to kill you and your family. Just how many batteries are we talking about? Between 200 and 300 times the amount you’d find in an electric car—all for a fuel capacity of only about 50 miles. For now, what you see here is just a prototype. Manufacturers at IHI Marine United hope to commercialize the machine by 2015 with the hopes that battery prices will be more economical

After officially taking over Sanyo earlier this week, Panasonic is hitting the ground running with a joint venture aimed at developing a powerful lithium-ion storage battery than could store enough juice to power an average [Japanese] home for a week. The battery will also include a system that will allow users to monitor their electricity usage through their televisions. Seems like a viable alternative to solar batteries and fuel cells, but I’m curious to know how a week of powering a Japanese home equates to powering a typical American home. Either way, the technology won’t be available until sometime in 2011.

After officially taking over Sanyo earlier this week, Panasonic is hitting the ground running with a joint venture aimed at developing a powerful lithium-ion storage battery than could store enough juice to power an average [Japanese] home for a week. The battery will also include a system that will allow users to monitor their electricity usage through their televisions. Seems like a viable alternative to solar batteries and fuel cells, but I’m curious to know how a week of powering a Japanese home equates to powering a typical American home. Either way, the technology won’t be available until sometime in 2011.

One of the big obstacles in alternative energy is that some of its primary gathering mechanisms — solar, wind, reclaimed heat — aren’t continuously available, so no matter how much of a science lab you have bolted to your roof, you still might run out of TV electricity during a calm night’s Curb Your Enthusiasm marathon. Well, Panasonic’s recent buy of Sanyo brought with it some choice battery tech, and the newly joined companies think they can be the first to build and ship a storage battery for home use. The plan is to release the lithium-ion cell in 2011, with enough juice in it to power a home for a week (a Japanese home, we presume), and the battery will be paired with a system to allow the user to monitor electricity usage on their TV. Of course, fuel cells have traditionally been looked to as the great home energy storage hope, but we doubt any will be able to compete with the tried-and-true lithium-ion by the time 2011 rolls around. Panasonic and new best friend Sanyo plan one week storage battery for the home originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 23 Dec 2009 11:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds

Yeah, it’s significantly (22 pounds) lighter than its lead acid counterpart, but the trustworthy car geeks at Jalopnik insist there’s no way this thing is worth the $1,700 upgrade price. The phrase “overpaid, insecure idiots” came into play. [ Jalopnik ]

Nowadays, everything comes with a rechargeable battery, but who knew that getting long battery life could get soooo confusing? Here are 10 expert-backed tips to keep you from running low on the juice: 1. Since a battery should never be 100% full or 100% empty, you should charge it then discharge it in sequence ideally ranging between 80% to 20%. Start by charging for 12 minutes, then running it down, then charge it for 11 minutes then run it down, and so on. Confused? Just use this handy formula: n!=C(n,k)/r! where n can’t equal r, and k never reaches zero.

What could be a better feeling than beating a world record? Beating your own world record. The Tesla Roadster has put an extra exclamation mark on its world-conquering single-charge antics by raising the bar from 241 miles back in April to an even more impressive 313 this week. As you can see in that homemade “world record” sign above, that’s 501 kilometers in metric terms, or pretty much the exact distance between Paris and Amsterdam.