Batteries

Lithium is a finite resource, and the more we lock inside rechargeable batteries, the less we have to use. A new speedy method to free the element from such sources could be a game changer in terms of the material's availability.

With AI technology proliferating through every facet of our lives these days, Eatron Technologies and Syntiant have leveraged their collective expertise to create an AI-powered battery management system (BMS) to boost battery life.

A new heat-to-energy converter has reached a record efficiency of 44% – the average steam turbine manages about 35%, for comparison. This thermophotovoltaic cell is a major step on the way to sustainable, grid-scale renewable energy storage.

As we discovered in 2022, traditional bikes can be given a new lease of life with an ebike conversion kit. But the price can be steep. The London-based makers of the kit we tried has now launched a budget-friendly option called the Swytch Go.

Natron Energy fell a little behind schedule on production plans for its sodium batteries but officially commenced production of the rapid-charging, long-life lithium-free batteries this week, bringing to market an intriguing new storage alternative.

China's CATL – the world's largest EV battery producer – has launched TENER, which is described as the "world's first mass-producible energy storage system with zero degradation in the first five years of use."

China's Betavolt New Energy Technology has unveiled a new modular nuclear battery that uses a combination of a nickel-63 (⁶³Ni) radioactive isotope and a 4th-generation diamond semiconductor and can power a device for 50 years.

The new Anod Hybrid bike is technically more of a 'tri-brid,' adding supercapacitors to the usual battery plus pedal power equation. This provides quick-bursting power and cuts the battery bulk down to the size of a portable power bank.

Renewable energy grids need lots of energy storage – and EVs plugged into charging stations represent a huge, city-wide battery just waiting to help out. The Dutch city of Utrecht is about to pioneer a clever way to kickstart two-way charging.

Greenworks makes hundreds of indoor and outdoor power tools that run on swappable battery packs. Now the company is using those same batteries to power a new e-mobility range that will include ebikes, an electric UV and an e-minibike.

Gates- and Bezos-backed startup Form Energy is one of the most exciting companies in the grid-level renewable energy storage space, with a multi-day iron-air battery system just 10% the cost of lithium. A 10-MW/1-GWh demo system has now been approved.

Canadian company Volt Lithium has developed and pilot-tested a new low-cost lithium extraction method to pull this critical battery metal out of low-concentration brines. Now it plans to turn old oil fields into lithium production operations.