New Hybrid Batteries To The Rescue?
posted Sunday Nov 14, 2010 by Jon Wurm
Some would agree that batteries have fallen a little behind the times. For example, we have seen considerable improvement in power consumption in most electronic devices like netbooks and cell phones but any portable electronic device that is capable of higher performance levels, like smart-phones and quad-core laptops, won't last more than a few hours if not plugged in. And who is ever near an outlet when they really need to be?
Hit the break to find out if these new hybrid batteries will ease our pain
In today's fast-paced world, the battery life of the electronic devices you rely on to survive isn't the only important factor. No one really has time to wait an hour or two for your device to get juiced. That is why I am hopeful that Ioxus Inc. can give us some peace of mind with their 1st generation of hybrid batteries. They will supposedly be able to store double the amount of energy a normal ultracapacitor can and charge up in just a few seconds. Fortunately for us, they won't double in size either but will remain around the size of a standard C-cell battery. This sounds too good to be true, right? Don't worry, there are some drawbacks. Quick charging severely shortens the amount of cycles (one cycle is one full charge and one full discharge) the battery will last, putting these hybrid batteries around 20,000 cycles which is way less than the millions of cycles ultracapacitors can handle but more than the 1,000 cycles lithium batteries average. The second generation of these batteries is due out by the end of Q1 2011 but we will see what promise they have after the 1st generation proves its valor.
