Saturday, April 10, 2010

Hitachi Extends the Life of Li-Ion Batteries

The Inquirer

JAPANESE ELECTRONICS MAKER Hitachi claims to have developed technology that will extend the life of lithium ion batteries.

At the moment the maximum life you will get out of a Li-Ion battery is about five years. However Hitachi claims it can make Li-Ion batteries that will last a decade if they have the wind behind them and a running start.

The batteries will even be cheaper as the design involves reducing the amount of cobalt in them. Cobalt is rare and expensive and blue.

The added longevity makes the technology more viable for a battery where removing it would be a pain. This would include storing energy from wind or solar power or powering construction gear.

Hitachi has not said when it will have products hitting the shops using this technology.