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Batteries
Tesla to use Panasonic's Nickel-based lithium-ion batteries
By Ben Coxworth
20:26 January 24, 2010 PST
Electric carmaker Tesla Motors and electronics giant Panasonic have announced that they will be collaborating on development of next-generation battery cells for electric vehicles. Tesla Chief Technology Officer JB Straubel says “Combining Tesla’s rigorous cell testing and understanding of EV requirements with Panasonic’s cutting-edge battery technology will result in custom cells optimized for use in EVs.” Panasonic’s nickel-based lithium-ion battery cells will be included in Tesla’s newest battery packs, due to their high capacity, light weight, durability and long life. According to Panasonic, they are the highest energy density battery cells currently in production. Read More
The Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies HYDROFILL - personal desktop hydrogen station
By Mike Hanlon
00:54 January 4, 2010 PST
Singaporean company Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies will release a small home hydrogen refueling and storage solution at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas later this week that could kickstart mankind’s transition to a hydrogen-based economy. The HYDROFILL is a small desktop device that plugs into the power supply, a solar panel or a small wind turbine, and automatically extracts hydrogen from its water tank and stores it in a solid form in small refillable cartridges. The cartridges contain metallic alloys that absorb hydrogen into their crystalline structure, a storage method which the company claims offers the highest volumetric energy density of any form of hydrogen storage, even higher than liquid hydrogen. Read More
IBM forecasts the next 5 big ideas for the next 5 years
By Darren Quick
19:20 December 20, 2009 PST
Casting one’s eye into a crystal ball is a risky undertaking that can leave the forecaster as visionary or fool – particularly if they are short term predictions that can easily be checked. But that hasn’t deterred the soothsayers at IBM coming up with their fourth annual “Next 5 in 5” list of innovations that will impact our lives in the next five years. Based on market and societal trends as well as emerging technologies, the latest list focuses on innovations that have the potential to change how people live, work and play in our burgeoning cities. Read More
Fast charging i-Miev for the UK
By Paul Ridden
16:53 December 13, 2009 PST
As Mitsubishi's iMiev electric cars become available to the public next year, the UK will be the first to benefit from technology that will see the Lithium-ion batteries recharged to 80 percent capacity in just 30 minutes. Mitsubishi UK will be the first company in Europe to showcase the city car's fast charging capabilities. Read More
Low-cost, durable, lightweight battery made from paper
By Darren Quick
19:35 December 7, 2009 PST
By dipping an ordinary piece of paper into ink infused with carbon nanotubes and silver nanowires, scientists have been able to create a low-cost battery or supercapacitor that is ultra-lightweight, bendable and very durable. The paper can be crumpled, folded or even soaked in acidic or basic solutions and still will work. Read More
New nano-material could lead to self-washing windows and solar panels
By Darren Quick
19:13 December 3, 2009 PST
While attempting to find a cure for Alzheimer’s disease researchers have discovered a new nanomaterial that can repel dust and water and could provide a self-cleaning coating for windows or solar panels. Unlike similar dust-busting materials that take inspiration from the surface of the lotus leaf, the new material is actually made up of molecules of peptides that “grow” to resemble small forests of grass. The coating also acts as a super-capacitor, thereby having implications for electric cars in that it could provide an energy boost to batteries. Read More
New solar storage solution could be the key to home-brewed electricity
By Darren Quick
22:28 November 4, 2009 PST
Reports of new developments in the area of solar power are an almost daily event here at Gizmag. The main focus of research seems to be on improving the efficiency of solar cells, but others are working at developing an inexpensive method of locally storing the energy generated by solar systems. Because society relies on a continuous energy supply and solar energy is diurnal, storage systems are integral to what some see as an inevitable move towards the era of “personalized solar energy”, in which the focus of electricity production shifts from huge central generating stations to individuals in their own homes and communities. Read More
Cell batteries could power nano devices
By Gizmag Team
22:38 October 26, 2009 PDT
Synthetic cells that act as a battery could one day be used to power nanotech devices. Scientists from Yale University and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) created a very simple cell model in order to study the way certain real cells generate electric voltages. In the process they produced a minute working battery that converts chemical energy into electrical energy at an efficiency of about 10 per cent - a figure that's high enough to make cell batteries a practical alternative as a nano power source. Read More
Venom introduces world's first carbon neutral alkaline battery
By Jude Garvey
04:07 October 22, 2009 PDT
A new range of batteries from Venom is free of mercury, cadmium and lead, and has been certified carbon neutral by Carbonfund.org. The Eco Alkaline batteries were certified carbon neutral after a detailed product life-cycle assessment of carbon emissions. As part of a carbon neutral project, Venom is supporting the Return to Forest Project which is helping to reforest Nicaragua's Pacific coast. Read More
4x, 8x, huh? How much power do Lithium batteries actually have?
21:36 October 18, 2009 PDT
These days, if you go looking for batteries you're likely to find a range of products with some fairly bold claims on their packaging. Standard AA alkaline batteries are the least expensive and have been around for decades, but now there's a bunch of other choices for single use batteries that are marketed as better choices for "digital" devices than the "copper top" or store branded staples we've used for years. Among the newest of these is Energizer's Advanced Lithium and Ultimate Lithium single use batteries. Read More
Is there something in the hair? The tale of a solar cell made with human hair
By Paul Ridden
11:37 October 15, 2009 PDT
Debate is good. Debate is healthy. Debate is currently raging after an article recently appeared on the UK's Daily Mail website announcing a revolutionary solar cell that's made using human hair. A group of teenage students from Nepal claim to have replaced expensive doped silicon used in conventional solar panels with cheap and readily available human hair to produce a cell capable of generating 9V (18W) of electricity. Curiosity got the better of Gizmag's Paul Ridden, who contacted one of the team to find out more. Read More
EVs to get improved mileage from redox flow batteries
By Jeff Salton
20:41 October 13, 2009 PDT
German researchers say a new type of electric vehicle battery that runs on electrolyte fluid can be recharged as easily as refilling a petrol tank. When the redox flow rechargeable batteries are low, the discharged electrolyte fluid can simply be exchanged at the gas station for recharged fluid. Read More
Silicon nanotubes could increase li-ion battery capacity 10X
By Darren Quick
00:21 September 25, 2009 PDT
In news that could greatly extend the range of electric cars, researchers have shown that replacing the conventional graphite electrodes in lithium-ion batteries with silicon nanotubes can produce a battery that can store ten times more charge. The researchers developed a silicon anode that, aside from extending the range of electric cars, could also make gasoline-electric hybrid vehicles more efficient by allowing them to run in electric mode for longer periods. Read More
Adding graphene could mean cheaper Lithium-ion batteries
By Darren Quick
01:01 September 23, 2009 PDT
It’s not only integrated circuits that look set to benefit from the use of graphene, the one-atom thick wonder material made up of a honeycomb lattice of carbon atoms. Researchers have discovered that adding graphene to titanium dioxide for use as electrodes in batteries improves performance over standard titanium oxide by a factor of three. This could pave the way for inexpensive titanium dioxide to replace the expensive, rare-earth metals or fire-prone carbon-based materials used in today's lithium-ion batteries. Read More
Self-healing electronics using carbon nanotube-filled microcapsules
By Darren Quick
21:02 September 17, 2009 PDT
Dropping an electrical device such as a mobile phone or laptop can prompt a few anxious moments as you rush to see whether your beloved device has survived the fall. Now researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign are working to make such incidents a little less distressing - they're developing a self-healing first-aid kit for electrical systems that could stop circuits failing and lead to safer, longer lasting batteries. Read More
Algae used to create a quick-charge, lightweight battery
16:21 September 13, 2009 PDT
Algae blooms are unpleasant and unpredictable phenomena that arise quickly and strike seas and oceans, often causing serious problems to local ecosystems. But, in an effort to try and find a use for such algae, a research team from Uppsala University, Sweden, has recently managed to design a record-breaking "green" lightweight battery that is incredibly easy to produce and might just even out the environmental consequences of these blooms. Read More
New solar battery technology offers household power at 2.5c per kWh
By Jeff Salton
00:14 September 2, 2009 PDT
As part of man's ongoing quest to extract the greatest benefits from solar power, Salt Lake City-based company Ceramatec, the R&D arm of CoorsTek, has made what it believes to be a massive breakthrough in batteries for storing energy harnessed from the sun. The company is making impressive inroads on the prototype of a deep storage battery, the size of a small refrigerator, that safely operates at room temperature, consists of everyday materials, and can output household power at 2.5c per kWh. What’s more, Ceramatec says it will be cheap to purchase. Read More
An enduring feat - Panasonic EVOLTA batteries set second Guinness World Record
By Mick Webb
23:08 August 16, 2009 PDT
Panasonic has put its EVOLTA line of alkaline batteries to the test and set a Guinness World Record for the second time. Its little “bot that could”, named 'Mr Evolta', has successfully completed the "24 Hours of Le Mans” endurance challenge powered on two AA EVOLTA batteries, giving Panasonic boasting rights to “the longest distance covered by a battery-operated remote–controlled model car”. Read More
New Sony rechargeable battery charges faster and lasts longer
By Darren Quick
01:51 August 12, 2009 PDT
We cover our fair share of battery technology breakthroughs here at Gizmag, from lithium-sulfur batteries to NanoEnergy batteries. But it’s less often that we get to report on new and improved batteries actually hitting the market. So it was nice to learn that Sony has launched a new type of rechargeable Li-ion battery that promises an extended life span more than four times that of existing Li-ion batteries and can be charged to 99 percent of its full capacity in 30 minutes - approximately half the charge time of Sony’s current Li-ion battery line up. Read More
Going Green: Renewable energy on the move
By Paul Lester
20:23 August 10, 2009 PDT
Learning more about consumption levels and investing in a standby-saver or two to cut down on waste energy is a great way to start becoming more green in the home, but there are also ways to utilize renewable energy when you're out and about. Read More
PedalPower+ charges cyclists' phones, GPS, iPods
By Jeff Salton
21:52 August 9, 2009 PDT
In bygone days, a bicycle dynamo struggled to generate enough energy to power a weak headlight for the lonely cyclist riding home on a dark night. Back then it was the only electronic application that a cyclist needed because dynamos were first invented when riders still made calls from public telephone booths or stopped to read a map for directions. But a new bicycle dynamo system called PedalPower+ can help recharge the arsenal of battery-powered accessories modern cyclists’ rely on for communications, navigation and entertainment - on the fly. Read More
Obama bets US$2.4 billion on battery-electric vehicles
By Loz Blain
03:29 August 7, 2009 PDT
Awesome news: battery technology is about to get a US$2.4 billion-dollar kick in the pants. US President Barack Obama has announced the single largest funds injection into battery development and electric/hybrid vehicle technology the world has ever seen. Obama's hope is that this huge chunk of stimulus funds will be enough to knock down the biggest wall standing between electric vehicles and the mainstream: the fact that current batteries are still too expensive, take too long to charge, and don't hold enough energy. If the move succeeds, it could put America right at the front of the electric car revolution - but at the least, it could help the next generation of iPhones last more than a day between charges. Read More
World’s first commercial fuel cell Unmanned Aerial System
By Gizmag Team
06:32 August 6, 2009 PDT
The world’s first long endurance, commercial hydrogen fuel cell powered Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) will be showcased at AUVSI in Washington on August 11. Developed by BlueBird Aero Systems, “Boomerang” is a electric powered 9kg UAS which can fly for over nine hours using a high performance hydrogen-electric power system from Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies. Named AEROPAK, the self-contained 2kg fuel cell power system from Horizon can deliver 900Wh, at the same time as significantly increasing flight endurance, minimizing acoustic signature and reducing overall size of the UAS. Read More
From AAA to D: the one-size-fits-all rechargeable battery concept
16:52 August 3, 2009 PDT
People think deeply about everything, even batteries. Comedian Demetri Martin, for example, decided the reason there’s no B-Battery is because it’d sound like you had a stutter asking for one. A group of Korean designers, on the other hand, has decided what the world really needs is a rechargeable nickel hydroxide battery that, thanks to a memory foam casing, can squeeze down to fit any size from AAA to D. Read More
Printable batteries to make light work of embedded electronics
18:44 July 6, 2009 PDT
The main problems with today's battery technology is that, despite gradual advancements in recent years, cells are still too big, heavy and expensive, making them impractical for the many applications in which weight or price play an essential role. Researchers at the Fraunhofer research facility in Germany, however, have taken a radically different approach towards the building process and have developed an incredibly light, thin and inexpensive battery that could - if such a thing is possible - end up bringing even more electronics into our everyday life. Read More
windykites1
- February 9, 2010 @ 19:22 UTC
