The Future of the Battery

Have you ever needed your smartphone only to find that the battery has died and you’re nowhere near an outlet? It’s frustrating, but in a couple of years, it may be a thing of the past.

A Better Battery on the Way?

Engineers at Chicago’s Northwestern University have been working on advancements in battery technology and may have discovered a way to make batteries charge in minutes and last considerably longer.

What they are working on is a new lithium-ion battery that has more than 10 times the life of present-day batteries. Additionally, after a year of operation, which the researchers estimate to be about
150 charges, these new lithium-ion batteries would continue to be 5 times more effective then today’s lithium-ion batteries.

A Charged Battery for a Week

Ultimately, this new cell phone battery could stay charged for an entire week, even with all the apps we use daily. And the charging time? Under 15 minutes! This technology will sure make our lives easier, but more than this, this new battery could lead to smaller and more efficient batteries for electric cars which could consequently, have a dramatic impact on our reliance on fossil fuels.

Batteries Powering Technological Change

The new battery technology is not yet available for consumers, but the Northwestern researchers claim it could hit the market in three to five years. This is a big step. When we look at developments in technology, we often ignore the batteries that power our latest gadgets. Battery limitations are one of the factors holding back an even greater technology revolution. The hope is that the research done at Northwestern University can change this.