Yeah, we know, you’ve heard it all before. It sometimes feels like some revolutionary new battery technology gets promoted every other month, and the one thing they have in common is that they never seem to materialize in real-life products. But new battery tech from a MIT spinoff may actually prove to be the exception, with the…
via New lithium metal tech holds out promise of double-life batteries by 2017 — 9to5Mac
If this technology from MIT is every bit as “manufacturable” as other existing battery tech, then I’m all for it. But as is often the case, even with University offices setup to “commercialize” pure research, the promise far outstrips the practicality. I can point to the promise of using graphene (thin sheets of graphite in a crystalline lattice work) in all sorts of applications, even lithium ion battery anodes! But have you seen anyone deliver a product yet based on all the research and announcements of discoveries in using graphene? It’s darned few if any. And those few niches where it might see light of day, are very high end, aerospace or military applications that may never make it in the commercial sector. Still there’s some hope this one might break the pattern of typical obscurity these technologies fall into. And I for one would love to see an existing battery form factor (say from Apple MacBook Pro line for example) double in total capacity. Imagine a 13″ MacBook Pro lasting for 24 hours or even 22 hours on a single charge? That would be quite something indeed. We’re still not there yet. But hoping this comes true.
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