MIT engineers have created a kind of beltway that allows for the rapid transit of electrical energy through a well-known battery material, an advance that could usher in smaller, lighter batteries -- for cell phones and other devices -- that could recharge in seconds rather than hours.
As it involves a new approach to manufacturing lithium-ion battery materials, rather than a new material, it could be ready within two to three years, the researchers said. Electric car batteries may be able to charge in less than an hour, removing one of the main barriers to wider uptake of the vehicles. Solar and wind power generation could also benefit as better batteries could be used to store surplus energy.
A version of this article appeared in MIT Tech Talk on March 18, 2009
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