New ultra-fast charging battery on the horizon
Thu 12 March 2009
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The MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) has created a new technology that might make it possible for batteries to be charged in seconds rather then hours. The new batteries will be smaller, lighter and be built principally for mobile phones, laptops and other mobile gadgets could potentially be made available within two to three years.
The findings were published in the latest edition of the journal Nature and revealed that more efficient charging is possible by changing the surface structure of the battery that allows lithium ions to move quickly around the outside of the material, much like a beltway around a city. When an ion traveling along this beltway reaches a tunnel, it is instantly diverted into it. The new process meant the MIT engineers were able to charge or discharge a small battery within 10 to 20 seconds. This compares to the 6 minutes taken to charge existing lithium batteries. It is claimed that bigger batteries used for for plug-in electric cars could therefore charge in just five minutes, compared with about eight hours for existing batteries, signicantly increasing the range of electric vehicles.
Meanwhile, Norfolk's small Ecotricity team have been creating the first electric supercar. Head of wind power company Ecotricity Dale Vince, commissioned the team of British motorsport engineers last August. The team sourced a second-hand Lotus Exige on eBay and pulled it apart. Seven months later, the car, which still has no name, is about to undergo full testing.
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