Safer, Faster Charging and Longer Lasting Notebook Battery Coming Soon?

[Andrew Baxter]

A company called Boston Power is showing off a battery at the Demo 2007 show today in Palm Desert California that they claim can charge to 80% in 30 minutes, be charged 1,000 times without reduction in storage capacity and is safe from the exploding issues seen this year in other Li-Ion batteries.

On top is a picture of the Boston-Power Sonata Li-Ion battery, on the bottom a standard Li-Ion battery used today

Boston Power is a start-up company that has been doing research and developing an improved notebook battery they dub "Sonata" for the past couple of years. This battery is mechanically and electrically the same as existing Li-Ion batteries used in notebooks, and could therefore be used with current notebook designs. The company claims the Sonata can be recharged 1,000 times or more and not lose storage capacity. Most Li-Ion batteries today start losing their storage capacity after 150 - 300 charge cycles and need to be replaced after a year or two. The Sonata battery is also claimed to be able to charge to 80% capacity in 30 minutes, less than half the time for today's notebook batteries. This is especially eyebrow raising because if you fast charge today's batteries they will warp and wear out much faster than usual.

In addition to these performance claims, Boston Power says the battery is safer. The battery uses a metal alloy casing instead of iron used in traditional batteries, this would help prevent some of the nasty explosions seen in other notebook Li-ion batteries this year. Furthermore, the Sonata will have an interrupt system that will shut the battery down permanently if any damage is done to the battery or danger of a fire-starting reaction is sensed.

Great, so when might we see this battery or be able to get it?

HP is working closely with Boston Power and is interested in potentially using the new battery. However, HP must do rigorous testing in their labs before deciding to sign any contracts with Boston Power for actually using the battery. The CEO and Founder of Boston Power, Christina Lampe-Onerud, says HP could be using the battery inside some of its notebooks as early as this Summer.

Boston Power is working with contract manufacturers in China where the battery would be produced. They have recently secured $15.6-million more in funding and are in talks with other laptop makers outside of HP.

 

[martynas]

at last some good changes in battery department...

[Thibault]

This is pretty interesting... if the testing done by companies (like the testing HP is going to do) confirms the details on the battery...

[chrisyano]

Almost sounds too good to be true, sort of like the other "in-development" battery technologies out there today. If it works though--I would love to have one of those in my next notebook, definitely.

The interrupt system to permanent shutdown in Boston Power's battery is of interest to me. I wonder how it differs from the system currently being used by today's Li-Ion packs. The description makes it sound like it's fairly similar to what's already in place.

[Andrew Baxter]

The advantage this has is that it's just building on existing technologies. That whole gas powered laptop battery just will never fly, unless you don't care about ever taking your laptop on a plane or public transit due to risks involved with butane close to hot components.

Still, I find it odd that Boston Power isn't using any new chemical and claim to have just wrote down a spec they wanted to achieve and "accomplished" meeting that spec. Hmm. We'll see I guess.

[grumpy3b]

I agree that the fuel cell types will...ahem..never fly...so to speak.

My first thought about this new take on LiIon batteries is great!! It would be nice to buy one less battery for each laptop per year.

my very next thought is we will see an increase in price for a laptop/replacement batteries. I imagine that batteries provide a huge portion of revenue for each mfg. Given that, currently batteries are around $125/ea then if these new batteries last 3x longer are we going to see either smaller capacity batteries or $350 batteries?

[grumpy3b]

btw, the reason a smally battery capacity will work is by decreasing the capacity of the battery you increase the number of charging cycles required to keep the laptop running. For example a 6hr battery is replaced by a 2hr (or smaller battery) which needs 3x the charges for the same performance. So the overall lifetime of the battery is the same.

Positioned properly this could result in the same number (or more even) of batteries sold annually.

The way it would be marketed is to market systems as being lighter in weight. Sure but at the cost of decreasing the ability to use the laptop unteathered. I even read some hotspots are offering free wifi but charging for the power connection now...same fee either way but people rarely read that far past "free"...

Result for the consumer is always going to be an increase in cost.