Toshiba's 'NanoBattery' Recharges In Only One Minute

[phantom power]

Toshiba Corporation today announced a breakthrough in lithium-ion batteries that makes long recharge times a thing of the past. The company's new battery can recharge 80% of a battery's energy capacity in only one minute, approximately 60 times faster than the typical lithium-ion batteries in wide use today, and combines this fast recharge time with performance-boosting improvements in energy density.

(snip)

The excellent recharging characteristics of new battery are not its only performance advantages. The battery has a long life cycle, losing only 1% of capacity after 1,000 cycles of discharging and recharging, and can operate at very low temperatures. At minus 40 degrees centigrade, the battery can discharge 80% of its capacity, against 100% in an ambient temperature of 25 degree centigrade).

Toshiba will bring the new rechargeable battery to commercial products in 2006. Initial applications will be in the automotive and industrial sectors, where the slim, small-sized battery will deliver large amounts of energy while requiring only a minute to recharge. For example, the battery's advantages in size, weight and safety highly suit it for a role as an alternative power source for hybrid electric vehicles.

http://www.physorg.com/news3539.html

[ret5hd]

1. wow if this is as good as it sounds this is a quantum leap in battery tech

[phantom power]

2. It has some attractive properties.

I notice that it's actual energy density is slightly less than the highest-energy-density available.

It looks like the real breakthrough is it's place on the tradeoff space between e-density and recharge time. It's long lifetime is certainly another big win.

It would be even more world-changing if they had made a quantum leap in energy density. I'm just impossible to please.

[flamin lib]

3. The technology has been around for some time.

About ten years ago I reped a line of lithium batteries. The company has long since gone out of business--their target market was electric cars and the market didn't mature fast enough.

Energy density was almost as good as lead acid, had no memory, tolerated complete discharge, operated over a wide temperature range and could be manufactured in sheets .060 thick. The idea was to line every body panel of the car with a flexible flat battery. Indestructible too. Drive a nail through it and it maintained 99% efficiency.

[orwell]

4. Question

Is it being manufactured by anyone today. Do you know who owns the patents?

[flamin lib]

5. I'm not sure if it is still being worked on by anyone.

I believe the company's name was UltraLife. They made non-rechargeable 9v square batteries and stackable button batteries as well. Our only contract of any size was with a metal detector company that got the contract for Japan's national security. They had temp requirements that nobody else could meet.

Almost nailed a contract with a major notebook PC mfg. The battery was to be located behind the screen.

That was long ago and far away, before my $70k/401k/full benefits job went to China.

on edit:

I spoke too soon, the company is still alive at http://www.ulbi.com/.

[Coastie for Truth]

6. I remember those

you (or one of your competitors) called on us with the idea of "laminating" the battery to the back side of flexible thin film amorphous Si PV cells.

[Massacure]

7. Wowzas, that is a huge advancement in battery design.

Now if only they could make batteries lighter.

[cprise]

8. It's lithium

...e.g. its already very light for what it does.

Especially compared to the weight of a gas engine.

[hunter]

9. Cars, bikes, and scooters...

I want to play.

If I ask nicely do you suppose Toshiba will send me one?

[Massacure]

10. Batteries are still a lot heavier than gasoline.

The biggest obsticle to pure electric cars is how much battery power they hold. Gasoline is dirty, biofuels take up so much land, hydrogen is terribly hard to store compressed and/or liquified, and batteries are heavy.

[cprise]

11. Capacity

The biggest obstacle to BEVs is a total lack of compromise. Like I said earlier, very few people need more than 150 miles per day from their vehicle.

You cannot simply compare batteries to a fuel tank to get an accurate weight comparison. Electric motors are very light and newer BEV designs have no tranmission at all, so overall weight is not such a liability.

[rfkrfk]

12. energy density , was not the problem with Honda and GM EVs

Battery energy density by weight, was tolerable.
The problem was, a hundred other nagging issues with the batteries,
also, local gov'ts don't like cars that don't pay gas tax.

an electric-car that had a range of 80 miles,
but NO OTHER issues, would be revolutionary.

I hope this works out.