A whiz research team at MIT has discovered new technology that would enable lithium-ion batteries to be charged within seconds, or mere minutes. Almost all major portable devices are powered by lithium-ion batteries: from your cellphone, to your laptop and mp3 player, this is the juice that makes you go. This could mean new innovations, namely, the success of a highly viable electric car.
The technology discovered by the team at MIT only requires a few small changes be made in the production of traditional lithium-ion batteries. By changing the ways the electrons and ions move on the surface of the battery, the charge time can be significantly decreased.
Lithium-ion batteries are typically made up of a lithium and cobalt. The MIT genii (geniuses?) created a prototype battery made out of lithium iron phosphate, which is just as cheap and lithium and cobalt, which charged in less than 20 seconds.
The major bonus: the battery invented by MIT doesn't lose its charge over time like other lithium-ion batteries. What does this mean for the average tech user? After owning a laptop for 2 or 3 years, your battery life will be the same as it was when you pulled that shiny new machine out of the box.
The MIT team, led by Gerbrand Ceder, has said that this technology could be available in as little as two years. Gerbrand Ceder and team, I am sending you some hookers and blow to reward you for this excellent discovery.
There are other implications to this technology other than convenience and shiny new batteries: electric cars.
Currently, electric cars suffer from severe limitations, namely the distances at which the battery can go on a single charge and the amount of time it takes to fully recharge. With this new technology, recharging an electric car would take the same amount of time as filling up your car with gas. Less if you drive an SUV!
Recharging an electric car could be as simple as pulling off the freeway, finding a gas station or similar convenience stop, and pulling up to a charger. After you've visited the bathroom or made that important phone call, your car is charged and you're reading to go. If you get anywhere between 200 and 400 miles per charge, this would make the electric car a viable vehicle for the majority of the world's drivers.
Does anyone remember the so-cute-it's-ugly EV-1 of Who Killed the Electric Car fame?
It's not just a pipe dream anymore - it's a reality. Only this time let's hope it's a little more... attractive looking.
Image via Iain Buchanan for BitchBuzz.