Battery tech suitable for future iPhone promises 3x the power density, full charge in minu...

Posted:
in Future Apple Hardware edited March 2017
A new battery technology has been developed by a team led by the original creator of lithium-ion battery, promising safer batteries that can hold three times as much power -- and charge in minutes, rather than hours.




A team from the University of Texas, led by 94-year-old John Goodenough has developed what is being called an "all-solid-state" lithium-ion battery cell. Batteries constructed using the new technology are noncombustible, have a long cycle life, and boast much faster rates of charge and discharge.

The technology is scalable to nearly all potential applications including the iPhone, the MacBook Pro, large energy banks like needed in a car, or something like the Tesla PowerWall.

"Cost, safety, energy density, rates of charge and discharge and cycle life are critical for battery-driven cars to be more widely adopted," said Goodenough. "We believe our discovery solves many of the problems that are inherent in today's batteries."

The new technology uses glass electrolyte instead of a liquid solution, and eliminates the "metal whiskers" which can bridge the gabs between positive and negative plates when a cell is charged too quickly. The metal whiskers generated can short the battery and cause fires and explosions.

The glass, made from lithium, sodium, or potassium greatly increases the energy density of the battery, with researchers seeing more than 1200 cycles on a cell, with little impact to life. As a side effect, the batteries still work well down to -20 degrees C (-4 degrees F).

The glass electrolyte technology "simplifies battery cell fabrication" according to the engineering team, and are made from more earth-friendly materials easing recycling and cutting back on the use of rare-earth minerals.

The University of Texas Office of Technology Commercialization is actively negotiating license agreements with multiple companies in the battery industry.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 47
    zimmermannzimmermann Posts: 324member
    Not in the IPhone X I'm afraid..
  • Reply 2 of 47
    Mike WuertheleMike Wuerthele Posts: 6,858administrator
    Not in the IPhone X I'm afraid..
    Probably not. Will probably take 2-3 years to come to market.
    irelandlostkiwidoozydozen
  • Reply 3 of 47
    coolfactorcoolfactor Posts: 2,239member
    There's a man who's clearly committed to leaving the world a better place.
    GeorgeBMacmacxpressnetmageRayz2016firelocklostkiwiedredlmagoobaconstangmattinoz
  • Reply 4 of 47
    DonvermoDonvermo Posts: 61member
    This is amazing news, the implications of this invention are massive!
    lostkiwiedredbaconstang
  • Reply 5 of 47
    ppietrappietra Posts: 288member
    This technology is also based in research developed in Portugal, one of the lead researchers involved is actually from a Portuguese University. I wonder if those licenses involve the portuguese contribution.
    doozydozen
  • Reply 6 of 47
    axcess99axcess99 Posts: 47member
    I hereby request this be referred to as the "Goodenough" battery.
    irelandmobiuspscooter63firelockjdgazStrangeDaysneo-techedredlmagoo[Deleted User]
  • Reply 7 of 47
    FatmanFatman Posts: 513member
    If this is in fact a reality, the magnitude of this discovery cannot be underestimated - this is a game changer that will change industries and life as we know it.
    randominternetpersonlostkiwilmagoobaconstanglolliverdoozydozen
  • Reply 8 of 47
    irelandireland Posts: 17,798member
    94-year old John Goodenough? Wut.
    lmagoodoozydozen
  • Reply 9 of 47
    irelandireland Posts: 17,798member
    axcess99 said:
    I hereby request this be referred to as the "Goodenough" battery.
    Perfect. Ha!
    SpamSandwichlostkiwilmagoodoozydozen
  • Reply 11 of 47
    boredumbboredumb Posts: 1,418member
    ireland said:
    axcess99 said:
    I hereby request this be referred to as the "Goodenough" battery.
    Perfect. Ha!
    They had rejected earlier prototypes, the Notsobad and Cantcomplain versions...

    "Batteries constructed using the net technology are noncombustible"...
    At least we know Samsung won't be trying them...
    cwingravirelandStrangeDayslostkiwibaconstangwatto_cobralolliverdoozydozen
  • Reply 12 of 47
    toysandmetoysandme Posts: 243member
    Where can I buy the stock?
  • Reply 13 of 47
    ksecksec Posts: 1,569member
    Solid Battery has been around for a VERY long time. What we keep hearing about these breakthrough are ways to make it cheaper. But it is still FAR from our normal Li-Ion Battery prices. Existing Battery cost less then $10 in BOM, a similar size Solid Battery would have cost more then $300 even when manufactured at scale.   

    The news and press didn't mention the cost saving. But even it is 50% cheaper, it would still be $150, on a cost per energy, ( Similar Li-Ion battery would be less then $30 ) it would still be 5x more expensive. And if you calculate the Margin in the end product, you will likely have to pay $300+ more for a phone with this tech inside. 

    I am no sure if consumer would spend $300 more for a Phone with 3x larger capacity at the same size.
  • Reply 14 of 47
    auxioauxio Posts: 2,717member
    sog35 said:
    I doubt this battery is Goodenough
    Not yet, but Samsung will use them anyways.
  • Reply 15 of 47
    SoliSoli Posts: 10,035member
    The new technology uses glass electrolyte instead of a liquid solution, and eliminates the "metal whiskers" which can bridge the gabs between positive and negative plates when a cell is charged too quickly. The metal whiskers generated can short the battery and cause fires and explosions.
    1) Those "metal whiskers" are aptly referred to as dendrites. This isn't an old David Pogue article from the NYTimes, so I don't think we need it dumbed down that much for this audience.


    2) Is this tech a reality or simply one of many battery technologies that show promise in a lab environment? Mike Zimmerman's plastic battery tech shows great promise but I don't think his tech is ready for market.


    3) I'd love for the best battery on the market to be called the Goodenough battery.
    edited March 2017 ksecneo-techdaven
  • Reply 16 of 47
    tmaytmay Posts: 6,309member
    Great technology when it arrives.

    The future will be with higher performance devices like tablets and laptops where Apple and others will have the design option to trade off battery volume, battery life or performance, or better allow the user to fine tune the device to their workflow. There will need to be more effort to solve thermal dissipation problems in devices, passively, and then we can look forward to workstation performance in Mac Book and iPad devices.

    Of course, there are people that still crave the traditional Tower paradigm; can't please everybody.
  • Reply 17 of 47
    lkrupplkrupp Posts: 10,557member
    Not in the IPhone X I'm afraid..
    Probably not. Will probably take 2-3 years to come to market.
    More like 5-10 years based on previous development cycles of batteries. Battery technology is the Holy Grail of modern tech. If this new battery technology is what it says it is then all the tech manufacturing companies like Apple, Samsung, etc. should be banging on UT’s lab doors trying to hand Professor Goodenough piles of cash to speed up R&D. 
  • Reply 18 of 47
    SpamSandwichSpamSandwich Posts: 33,407member
    ksec said:
    Solid Battery has been around for a VERY long time. What we keep hearing about these breakthrough are ways to make it cheaper. But it is still FAR from our normal Li-Ion Battery prices. Existing Battery cost less then $10 in BOM, a similar size Solid Battery would have cost more then $300 even when manufactured at scale.   

    The news and press didn't mention the cost saving. But even it is 50% cheaper, it would still be $150, on a cost per energy, ( Similar Li-Ion battery would be less then $30 ) it would still be 5x more expensive. And if you calculate the Margin in the end product, you will likely have to pay $300+ more for a phone with this tech inside. 

    I am no sure if consumer would spend $300 more for a Phone with 3x larger capacity at the same size.
    If it works and can be made at a competitive price at scale, rest assured every battery maker in the world already knows about it.
    lostkiwiedred
  • Reply 19 of 47
    Mike WuertheleMike Wuerthele Posts: 6,858administrator
    ksec said:
    Solid Battery has been around for a VERY long time. What we keep hearing about these breakthrough are ways to make it cheaper. But it is still FAR from our normal Li-Ion Battery prices. Existing Battery cost less then $10 in BOM, a similar size Solid Battery would have cost more then $300 even when manufactured at scale.   

    The news and press didn't mention the cost saving. But even it is 50% cheaper, it would still be $150, on a cost per energy, ( Similar Li-Ion battery would be less then $30 ) it would still be 5x more expensive. And if you calculate the Margin in the end product, you will likely have to pay $300+ more for a phone with this tech inside. 

    I am no sure if consumer would spend $300 more for a Phone with 3x larger capacity at the same size.
    This isn't quite the same as existing solid battery tech, and it appears to have a much simpler and less costly manufacturing process. The study is at the link in the story, and is free if you have academic credentials.
    lostkiwitallest skil
  • Reply 20 of 47
    linkmanlinkman Posts: 1,035member
    Apple might be drooling at the idea that they can make their devices even thinner with this battery but I need to state this clearly: THEY ARE THIN AND LIGHT ENOUGH RIGHT NOW. If this technology pans out then put this battery in and give us 24+ hour usage on most of our mobile devices.
    waverboy
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