 Now, can I have one of these? |
A new twist on the familiar lithium ion battery has yielded a type of power-storing material that charges and discharges at lightning speed. The finding could offer a boost for plug-in hybrid and electric vehicles and possibly allow cell phone batteries to regain a full charge in seconds rather than hours.
Rechargeable lithium ion batteries are small and light, yet can store copious amounts of energy, making them ideal for use in everyday electronic devices such as iPods and laptops. This valuable property, called energy density, can be scaled up for hybrid cars as well as for the all-electric Roadster built by Tesla Motors that relies on lithium ion batteries…and the similarly powered Chevy Volt plug-in electric, about to hit the market.
One downside: lithium ion batteries do not dispense their charge—carried by lithium ions and electrons, hence the power source’s name—very quickly compared with some other types of storage batteries. Like a huge auditorium that only has a few doors, getting a large volume of patrons (lithium ions) in and out is a drawn-out affair…The slow exchange of ions also means lithium ion batteries recharge slowly—just think of how long you have to charge your tiny cell phone.
In an attempt to pick up the pace, the M.I.T. researchers coated the lithium iron phosphate material with an ion conductor, which in this case was a layer of glasslike lithium phosphate. Sure enough, the charge-carrying ions traveled much faster from their storage medium; a prototype battery the scientists built completely charged in about 10 to 20 seconds…
Two companies have already licensed the technology, according to Byoungwoo Kang. Researchers are not sure how much these batteries will cost when they hit the market, but Kang says they should be reasonably priced, given that it should be relatively cheap to produce them.
Good possibilities of this tech hitting the streets within the next couple of years. No changes in basic production technology or components. Just one change along the way.
Which is why companies are already licensing the tech.
#40 Yawn. The amounts you are talking about are insignificant in the overall energy usage scheme. 8 years from now we will be importing the same amount of oil as now, if not more.
#41 If towns are able to power themselves on locally generated power, plus sell surplus back to the grid, I dont see that as insignificant. The transmission efficiency gains alone make it worthwhile.
I think you will find that even the monolitic nuclear alternatives take a long time to build, are very expensive and far more hazardous.
Feel free to continue your cheerleading for Big Energy though. Its most entertaining.
I don’t understand. How is this possible? I didn’t see the part where the government funded and mandated that this be done. What mysterious force could have driven these people to do this research besides the government? There had to be some kind of … “motive” or something, but of what nature?
# 42 Hugh Ripper said, “#41 If towns are able to power themselves on locally generated power, plus sell surplus back to the grid, I dont see that as insignificant.”
Whatever, 8 years from now we won’t be using less oil than now. That is unless O’Mama totally destroys the economy & we’re living in yurts.
#41 – Paddy-O,
8 years from now we will be importing the same amount of oil as now, if not more.
Probably true because of idiots like you. Also probably true is that the number of humans on the planet will likely be reduced by 90% as a direct result of burning fossil fuels in maybe 18 years or so if you have your way.
I, for one, would like to take action to postpone the Great Human Die-Off long enough to reduce our own numbers by attrition rather than by a painful global catastrophe.
You, on the other hand, would rather drive non-stop for hours on end, hopefully long enough to fall asleep at the wheel and crash into a bridge abutment. (Note that I’m hoping for you to avoid causing injury or death to others in the process.)
You also have no ability to look at current research and see solutions to problems. You ignore, for example, the tremendous research being put into power storage. You also ignore any hope of reducing need for power through conservation, which is orders of magnitude cheaper than even the cheapest source of electricity and another order of magnitude cheaper than your .
But, go back to your gasoline powered model cars at radio shack. Your brain case isn’t large enough for debates with homo sapiens.
#44 – O-Troll,
If we’re living in yurts in 8 years it will be because of idiots attempting to solve 21st century problems with 19th century solutions (and 11th century education, which is not you in particular, but includes many who share your view of oil).
You guys are forgetting one minor point concerning photovoltaic cells. Until only recently, it took more power to build a cell than you would get back from sunlight over the cell’s life, factoring in true daylight (insolation) which is about three hours per day. plus anything else that blocks sunlight like clouds, nightime, tunnels, shade from buildings etc. I too an not a big oil fan but I sort of enjoy my automobile’s air conditioning, heat, headlights, stereo and windshield wipers; all of the things that would help suck a battery dry.
For the time being, I’ll stick with homemade biodiesel
First of all let me say that I am doing research on green technologies and want to learn more about them. I’m not in any way an expert, and naturally I have questions; hopefully one of you may be able to answer this one: Why can’t we do with PV collectors like what we did for DC current? That is, take the energy generated from a PV collector and amplify the actual amount of voltage it produces with a transformer to charge or recharge an EV?
I didn’t know that Lithium-Ion batteries could also power hybrid cars. If they could make it work, it could be beneficial to the future designs of hybrid vehicles.