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MIT discovers batteries with indefinite lifetimes using solid-state-electrolytes

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Re: MIT discovers batteries with indefinite lifetimes using solid-state-electrolytes

#21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

Well, in my case, I was using a second hand Nexus One for years (almost 3 years if I remember it right) without problems with the battery. I think that if you respect the charging cycles, you make it last longer (I usually wait until 10% of battery left to charge it)

FYI, waiting until a Li-ion battery is nearly fully discharged before recharging will actually shorten its life by 3-4x compared to recharging when it hits 50%. See: http://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/how_to_prolong_li...

Re: MIT discovers batteries with indefinite lifetimes using solid-state-electrolytes

#22

Not 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.

That's possible today. I used to take my old Macbook Air off the AC power in the morning and then use it on battery till in the evening.

Re: MIT discovers batteries with indefinite lifetimes using solid-state-electrolytes

#23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

Well, in my case, I was using a second hand Nexus One for years (almost 3 years if I remember it right) without problems with the battery. I think that if you respect the charging cycles, you make it last longer (I usually wait until 10% of battery left to charge it)

Do not follow his advice.

To lessen the strain on your smartphone battery, keep it between 15% and 90% of charge and don't let it become too hot.

Modern batteries are not like the old ones.

Re: MIT discovers batteries with indefinite lifetimes using solid-state-electrolytes

#24
Is there an article on this which says something other than the same thing four times? Yes, I get they're replacing a liquid electrolyte with a solid one, but that's all this piece says. What electrolyte? Oh, and is it really infinite power as the article says? Of course not.

Willing to wager this is just a breathless piece on carbon-air tech.

Re: MIT discovers batteries with indefinite lifetimes using solid-state-electrolytes

#26

It'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?

It sounds like typical hand-waving prior to additional grant/paper rounds to explore it more. It would be more convincing if there a demo video showing charging and then discharging cycles based on a load like a phablet. The real proof would be temperature-compensated, high precision battery voltage/current logging, accurate to one microvolt/microampere respectively, to back up longevity claims with a measurably slower capacity decay, tested head-to-head against the best available batteries.

Re: MIT discovers batteries with indefinite lifetimes using solid-state-electrolytes

#28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The other major issue being: How does this affect all the other parameters that make a battery useful? I mean, sure, an 'indefinite life' is fine, but not if it's got more limited charge/discharge rates, energy densities, etc.

"The new battery also has an improved power capacity that is 20 to 30 percent higher than traditional models, and can endure frigid temperatures as well" Nothing about charge/discharge rates.

It's completely not characterized in any meaningful form. They shouldn't have made any claims to the media without a real demo and comparison to show with it. Otherwise, it does have a tendency to come off as unobtainium fogware.
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