New Electrode Lets Batteries Charge In 10 Seconds 348
Al writes "A new lithium-ion electrode allows batteries to be charged and discharged in 10 seconds flat. Developed by Gerbrand Ceder, a professor of materials science at MIT, it could be particularly useful where rapid power bursts are needed, such as for hybrid cars, but also for portable electronic devices. In testing, batteries incorporating the electrodes discharged in just 10 seconds. In comparison, the best high-power lithium-ion batteries today discharge in a minute and a half, and conventional lithium-ion batteries, such as those found in laptops, can take hours to discharge. The new high rate electrode, the researchers calculate, would allow a one-liter battery based on the material to deliver 25,000 watts, or enough power for about 20 vacuum cleaners."
Re:Ka-ching. (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:20 vacuum cleaners for 10 seconds? (Score:3, Insightful)
20 vacuum cleaners for 10 seconds?
That sucks.
How many yomamas is that?
Re:fast enough for a (Score:5, Insightful)
but for a man-portable railgun, the batteries are used to charge the capacitors, all in the back pack.
Re:20 vacuum cleaners... (Score:5, Insightful)
How about the slow charge, high drain battery bank in the basement. You know, the one that's being charged by the solar panels on the roof and the wind generator in the back yard. Oh, and occasionally off the grid, during off peak hours.
I'm kidding. When I go off the grid, I'll be finding a nice piece of land with good sized waterfall, and setting up a micro-hydro system.
Re:Think about it (Score:4, Insightful)
A 100hp generator weighs 1500 pounds.
Really? I assume you're including the substantial weight of a diesel engine to drive said generator, as a quick google search turns up the Winco EC75PSB4G-17 - a 75 kilowatt emergency backup generator head (just the part that turns shaft movement into AC power) that weighs in at 605 lbs. That's a unit intended for stationary use, not to be mounted to a vehicle. I'm sure a similar device intended for mobile use could be constructed from less massive materials.
In fact, may I direct you to look over the specifications page for the Honda FCX Clarity: link [honda.com]. There you will find that power from the vehicle's fuel cell stack and lithium ion battery is converted to motive force by a 100kW (134 hp) AC electric motor with integrated transaxle. While the page lacks a weight listing for said motive unit, I doubt it exceeds 400 lbs.
Re:20 vacuum cleaners... (Score:4, Insightful)
I don't see it improving the overall charge time of a car from a household plug, though.
Why not? Just install another battery pack at home, and keep it charged up at all times. It could then be used to quick-charge your car(s).
It could also be used as backup power during a blackout, or maybe even to supply home power during those times of day when electric rates are especially high. You could charge it from the grid (especially during those times of day when rates are low), from solar cells on your roof or from a wind turbine.
Half Assed (Score:2, Insightful)
Can you PLEASE stop with these half-assed, incomplete analogies ?
to deliver 25,000 watts, or enough power for about 20 vacuum cleaners
OH, REALLY ? FOR HOW BLOODY LONG ??? A day, a month, the rest of your life ???
Without a time quantifier, the analogy is totally meaningless.
20 vacuum cleaners for 30 minutes each, assuming each vacuum cleaner consumes 2.5 Kwh. Now that MEANS something !
And just out of interest, why vacuum cleaners ? This is Slashdot, not Womans Weekly Online ... how many basement nerds actually know what a vacuum cleaner looks like ? That's something their mum's do when they are still asleep isn't it ?
Enough power for a Beowulf Cluster damnit ... something we can relate to !