Charging

As news of the iPhone 15 jams up the airwaves, you can also take a trip back to 1984, aesthetically speaking, with this retro desktop hub that channels the questionable beauty of the Macintosh 128K, but offers much more user-friendly modern appeal.

Adoption of wireless charging has been fairly slow, but it could pick up if it worked over longer distances. Now Aalto University engineers have developed a new system that can allow more efficient wireless power transmission over longer distances.

As the number of EVs on our roads increases, so does the need for charger-accessible parking spots. Instead of having to create more EV-specific spots, parking garage operators could soon utilize Autev charging robots that come to people's cars.

Smartphone manufacturers have been steadily increasing fast-charging speeds of late, making full top-ups possible in minutes. The fastest to date has just been launched by Shenzhen's Realme, promising to take the battery to 100% in under 10 minutes.

Startup Skydio’s latest approach to self-charging drones involves affordable and compact base stations that can be deployed in a variety of settings, as it looks to put self-sufficient aircraft in the hands of more and more users.

The many cells that make up a lithium battery pack are not all equal; some will degrade and die faster than others. New research out of Stanford has found that the whole battery can live much longer if each cell gets an individual charging treatment.

Korean engineers have demonstrated a new system that uses infrared lasers to beam power over distances as far as 100 ft (30 m), which could eventually lead to technology that automatically charges your phone as soon as you walk into a room.

One of the lofty ambitions Rivian holds in the electric vehicle space is to establish a vast network of fast-charging locations spanning the US and Canada, and this week it opened of the first sites of its so-called Rivian Adventure Network.

This clever robotic EV charger will find a parking spot, reserve it for you, then sit behind you to charge your EV. It's a nifty idea, but we do wonder how Ziggy will cope with the brutally competitive environment of a mall car park on Christmas Eve.

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.

VW subsidiary Electrify America is out to offer electric vehicle owners a plethora of locations to charge up their rides, and its next-generation stations should make them more comfortable while doing it.

Ola is building the world's largest motorcycle factory, capable of making 10 million electric scooters a year, starting with its impressive S1. Now, it's invested in Israeli fast-charge battery tech that could deliver 100 miles of range in 5 minutes.