MIT discovers batteries with indefinite lifetimes using solid-state-electrolytes
1–10 of 76 posts
Re: MIT discovers batteries with indefinite lifetimes using solid-state-electrolytes
#2Not sure if this is the same "breakthrough"
https://newsoffice.mit.edu/2015/yolks-and-shells-improve-rec...
It was also discussed in The Economist this week.
Batter tech has been stuck in a rut for a long time so it's great news that better tech is in the way.
Re: MIT discovers batteries with indefinite lifetimes using solid-state-electrolytes
#3Not sure if this is the same "breakthrough" https://newsoffice.mit.edu/2015/yolks-and-shells-improve-rec... It was also discussed in The Economist this week. Batter tech has been stuck in a rut for a long time so it's great news that better tech is in the way.
I don't know much about battery tech but I get the feeling that "rut" is actually just their business model. Hard to sell a lot of batteries/phones/etc. that work forever.
Re: MIT discovers batteries with indefinite lifetimes using solid-state-electrolytes
#4Not sure if this is the same "breakthrough" https://newsoffice.mit.edu/2015/yolks-and-shells-improve-rec... It was also discussed in The Economist this week. Batter tech has been stuck in a rut for a long time so it's great news that better tech is in the way.
It's not the same. This is the MIT press release https://newsoffice.mit.edu/2015/solid-state-rechargeable-bat...
Re: MIT discovers batteries with indefinite lifetimes using solid-state-electrolytes
#5Not sure if this is the same "breakthrough" https://newsoffice.mit.edu/2015/yolks-and-shells-improve-rec... It was also discussed in The Economist this week. Batter tech has been stuck in a rut for a long time so it's great news that better tech is in the way.
It's been so stuck in a rut, relative to the demands of what we use it for, that it'd seem utterly magical for it to improve dramatically.
Imagine being able to use a laptop, or a phone, for days without plugging in. Seems completely impossible now, and my mental model of power usage vs battery drain is so set at this point that I think I'd have a really hard time trusting a vastly better battery to really work, even after seeing it work for a few cycles - I'd always be thinking, can this really be happening? When's it going to fail?
Wonder how long it would take for this to go away and just become the new norm? I'd love to look back on this post in a few years and laugh.
Re: MIT discovers batteries with indefinite lifetimes using solid-state-electrolytes
#6Not sure if this is the same "breakthrough" https://newsoffice.mit.edu/2015/yolks-and-shells-improve-rec... It was also discussed in The Economist this week. Batter tech has been stuck in a rut for a long time so it's great news that better tech is in the way.
It's been so stuck in a rut, relative to the demands of what we use it for, that it'd seem utterly magical for it to improve dramatically. Imagine being able to use a laptop, or a phone, for days without plugging in. Seems completely impossible now, and my mental model of power usage vs battery drain is so set at this point that I think I'd have a really hard time trusting a vastly better battery to really work, even…
> Imagine being able to use a laptop, or a phone, for days without plugging in.
A Kindle has a battery life of a couple of weeks (30+ hrs active use), but it's actually a mixed blessing. Daily charging is a nightly routine you get used to. Biweekly charging, you just end up forgetting when it's time to charge and don't have any power when you need it.
Re: MIT discovers batteries with indefinite lifetimes using solid-state-electrolytes
#7Not sure if this is the same "breakthrough" https://newsoffice.mit.edu/2015/yolks-and-shells-improve-rec... It was also discussed in The Economist this week. Batter tech has been stuck in a rut for a long time so it's great news that better tech is in the way.
It's been so stuck in a rut, relative to the demands of what we use it for, that it'd seem utterly magical for it to improve dramatically. Imagine being able to use a laptop, or a phone, for days without plugging in. Seems completely impossible now, and my mental model of power usage vs battery drain is so set at this point that I think I'd have a really hard time trusting a vastly better battery to really work, even…
Battery energy density is hard to improve. Lithium is already the smallest non-gas atom, and we're within an order of magnitude of its absolute limits. Even though it seems like batteries have improved a lot over the last two decades, the vast majority of that is due to electronics that consume less power, not increased battery capacity.
That said, cost can still be reduced and cycle life can still be improved. And there are exotic ideas for better batteries too.
[1] An article on the progress and limits of batteries: http://www.nature.com/news/the-rechargeable-revolution-a-bet... (might be behind a paywall)
Re: MIT discovers batteries with indefinite lifetimes using solid-state-electrolytes
#8It's all quite generic in the press release. And, nobody even tries to answer the number one question: how long until batteries like this could eventually hit the market?
Re: MIT discovers batteries with indefinite lifetimes using solid-state-electrolytes
#9Earlier quoted context omitted.
It's been so stuck in a rut, relative to the demands of what we use it for, that it'd seem utterly magical for it to improve dramatically. Imagine being able to use a laptop, or a phone, for days without plugging in. Seems completely impossible now, and my mental model of power usage vs battery drain is so set at this point that I think I'd have a really hard time trusting a vastly better battery to really work, even…
> Imagine being able to use a laptop, or a phone, for days without plugging in. A Kindle has a battery life of a couple of weeks (30+ hrs active use), but it's actually a mixed blessing. Daily charging is a nightly routine you get used to. Biweekly charging, you just end up forgetting when it's time to charge and don't have any power when you need it.
> you just end up forgetting when it's time to charge and don't have any power when you need it.
This is just a design problem though. The Kindle should warn you when you only have a few days battery (or, say, a hundred page turns) left, or maybe an LED could light up to remind you, and it'd be fine. I say this as a mildly inconvenienced Kindle user myself, because I too forget to charge it...
Re: MIT discovers batteries with indefinite lifetimes using solid-state-electrolytes
#10Not sure if this is the same "breakthrough" https://newsoffice.mit.edu/2015/yolks-and-shells-improve-rec... It was also discussed in The Economist this week. Batter tech has been stuck in a rut for a long time so it's great news that better tech is in the way.
I don't know much about battery tech but I get the feeling that "rut" is actually just their business model. Hard to sell a lot of batteries/phones/etc. that work forever.
I was just chatting to someone about this today. I feel like my "honeymoon" period with my new iphone 6 is coming to an end. 6 months in and I'm starting to have to think about when I charge it. Definitely it's not in Apple's interest to solve this particular problem, especially when (I think) they've deliberately made the battery non-replaceable.