Batteries

Scientists at UCSD have built a lithium battery that can not only operate at freezing cold and scorching hot temperatures, but may store double the energy of current devices and be friendlier to the environment while it's at it.

Scientists at the University of Buffalo experimenting with next-generation battery designs have demonstrated how magnetism might be used to bring a new level of precision to the way we monitor a battery's state of charge.

US startup Enovix hopes to play its part in the electric vehicle revolution with a next-generation battery featuring a silicon anode, which it says can now be nearly completely recharged in less than 10 minutes.

It was back in 2015 that Tesla unveiled its Powerwall battery energy storage system for the home. Well, Toyota has now announced its similar O-Uchi Kyuden System, which can draw power from EVs.

Natron's sodium-ion batteries have an enormous cycle life, practical power density, excellent safety and super-fast charging, without using any lithium. Through a partnership with Clarios, they'll go into mass manufacture in Michigan next year.

By rethinking a key battery component, scientists in China have come up with what's described as "extremely fast charging" technology that sees a lithium-ion battery hit 60 percent capacity in under six minutes.

For better or for worse, campers are taking an increasing number of electronic devices into the wilderness. A device known as the Hikerpower was designed with that trend in mind, as it's a portable power station in backpack form.

Nissan has joined other big-name automakers in outlining a vision around next-generation battery technology, which includes plans for a dedicated production facility and possible 15-minute charging times for electric vehicles.

A team at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory has demonstrated a type of "hibernating" battery that can preserve its energy for months at a time and release it on demand when heated up, ticking some important boxes for renewable energy storage.

While the GoPro Hero is still pretty much the name in actioncams, it can be fiddly to operate, plus its battery life may be too short. The new Volta is designed to address those shortcomings, combining one-handed controls with a battery pack.

Scientists at Japan's Tokyo Metropolitan University have taken aim at a common problem plaguing next-generation lithium metal batteries, finding a promising solution in a salty liquid that reduces problematic resistance between key components.

A new symmetrical design for flow batteries takes us a step closer to unlocking their potential as a solution for grid-scale energy storage, and leans on more environmentally-friendly materials while it's at it.