New Sony lithium ion batteries promise 4x the capacity, 99% recharge in 30 minutes
By Donald Melanson 
posted August 11th 2009 3:38PM
posted August 11th 2009 3:38PM
Sony's certainly had its share of battery problems but, like most battery-makers, it's also doing its part to try to improve things, and it's now announced a new lithium-ion battery that should not only be more stable, but last significantly longer than traditional batteries as well. That's apparently possible in part due to its use of an olivine-type lithium iron phosphate for the cathode material, which should help boost the battery's overall lifespan to four times that of conventional lithium ion batteries, not to mention provide an 80% capacity retention after 2,000 charge-discharge cycles and, perhaps most impressively, a promised 99% recharge in just 30 minutes. According to Sony, the batteries are especially well suited for use in power tools (where they'll first show up), but it does say they'll also eventually be "expanded to a wide range of other mobile electronic devices."
[Via Sony Insider]
[Via Sony Insider]
But can we trust Sony batteries again?
KABOOM!
NOPE
SONY batteries shouldn't be allowed through aiport security.
They're safer than Apple iPod and iPhone batteries
New Sony Li-Ion : 4X KABOOMER!!!
BOOM = FAIL!
BOOM = FAIL!
hence,
BOOM = PASS
If (KABOOM = BOOM) and (KABOOM and BOOM = BIG EXPLOSION) then
BOOM = FAIL
endif
I love explosion.
Explosion is good!!!
@kingbirdfivezero
Nice, very nice.
...NOT!!!
Oh great Engadget, just great ....
so i submit a freaking story about MBP and defective HDDs and you completely ignore it
but when it comes down to borrowing stories from Gizmodo, you post them right away ....
PFFFFFFFFFFFFF trolls !!!!!
They may have filled their quota for Apple-related stories today. Check the headlines tomorrow. LOL
Your story is old, and already on the sister site, TUAW.
Was that 4x capacity (headline) or 4x lifespan (body of article)?
4x lifespan .....
Well that's disappointing, you can always buy a new battery after it's lifespan is over, but nobody cares because the device containing the battery is obsolete by then anyway.
4x the capacity would really be something worth writing an article about
If Engadget would RTFA, they'd know that it is 4x lifetime, not 4x capacity. God damn.
See, this just demonstrates the beauty of EV's like Tesla. You actually get better miles per charge as the battery tech improves. So does this mean a Tesla (equipped with these) will charge 2x as fast and go, what, 500 miles on a single charge? Sweeeet! No if the would hurry and get that whitestar launched...
Actually, the capacity is less than half of most Cylindrical 18650 Lithium Ion batteries!
This has a capacity of 1100 mAH while the 'norm' is around 2500mAH.
What gives sony?
Engadget writers are morons... These have four times the lifetime, NOT CAPACITY!!!!!!!!!!!! Lith-Iron-Phosphate batteries are NOT new, they've been in the lab for a long time and the batteries being produced by A123 systems and used in the Chevy Volt hybrid.
They are very safe and do not combust upon short circuiting or runaway heating, but the limiting factor has actually been the CAPACITY
This article is disappointing, these cells aren't anything new or special. There are plenty of companies that have Lithium Iron Phosphate and Lithium Manganese Oxide cells that offer these types of cells.
@Frankenstein
EV cars don't use 18650 cells as their power source, they use prismatic or larger cylindrical cells. They also didn't increase the battery life at all with these, they just merely increased the battery lifetime, so you will still go the same distance, but you aren't going to have to replace your battery as quickly (though most current cells meet lifetime requirements regardless.
@West Hubbard
1100mAh and 2500mAh 18650 cells are different types of cells. The former is made to be able to give up its stored energy quickly. Where the 2500mAh cells are designed for long life, but can't do high current discharge. They are different types of cells for different purposes
And it will self destruct in...
Sorry, couldn't resist.. LOL.
I do not think LOL means what you think it means.
Inconceivable!!!
Anybody want a peanut?
So what happens to that other 1%?
1% of the time, it blows up every time.
Well that's when it explodes...
that last 1% will take 3 days to charge.
@Najakwa, Anchorman reference?
:D
4x the Capacity would be revolutionary.
4x the Lifespan not so much.
Pretty much yeah.
I was like "OH YEAH!" then after realizing what I was reading switched to a sarchastic "woooo."
Actually, 4x the lifespan is meaningful when combined with a 30 minute charge. Rapid charging is very destructive to battery lifespan. If they can rapid change AND extend the life of the battery, that's an accomplishment.
Well, until it explodes.
@nrb
Actually, thats the major advantage to Lith-FE-PO4 batteries. They do not explode when short-circuited or have the run-away heating reaction of current batteries..
Only $50 for 8!
Wonder if this well be another technological advance well never see. Super large capacity hard drives, longer life batteries and Unicorns.
im sure itll be years till these hit the market. I have little faith in companies progressing technology when its cheaper for them to produce crap technology till the end.
You don't consider a 2 TB hard drive a super large capacity?
Psh... Kids these days...
Back when I was using my computer with a 160MB hard disk or when I was booting computers from floppies because they didn't *have* hard disks, sure, 2TB would have seemed impossibly obscenely ginormous.
Today, when I've got 2.7TB of storage attached to my computer with about 2TB of it used, no, it isn't super huge.
By the same token, I don't consider colour television to be an amazing next-generation thing, because it hasn't been for decades. At one time it was incredible, today it's mundane.
Well you also have to look at the revenue that these companies get from selling crap batteries that need to be replaced constantly...Seems to work out in their favor if you ask me....other than trying to keep devices running longer, what's the incentive for them to lose out on all that cash?
@Paul
No @TB is not Super large space. when i read articles of holographic and or BR or quadlayer DVDs with space like 500gigs per disk...thats Super Large space.
i really dont see Sony of all companies introducing new battery technology thatll be nothing but a WIN WIN for the consumers and environment.
@Neeko
It has nothing to do with some conspiracy of holding back technology.. What all you 15 year olds don't understand is that it takes many, many years for new technology to go from the laboratory to commercial production, and most of the time it fails along the way. Manually producing a few working units is far from creating an efficient, high-quality, high-volume production technique that is financially feasible. And that is just manufacturing the technology, and ignores all of the market factors that can kill a technology before it is even manufactured.
Does it have 4x the explosive power?
This could be huge, especially for applications that really need battery improvements, like electric cars.
And then when they explode they can kill multiple people instead of just maiming or killing the person holding a device.
@Mark
Brilliant !!!!!!
lithium iron phosphate cells are known for not having the properties that caused the earlier Li-ion batteries to catch fire..
Or cars??
That title is misleading.
Not entirely; these batteries have more than 5x the power density (relates to how much power can be produced at a time) compared to typical Lithium Ion batteries (1800W/KG compared to 340W/KG). However, the layman would probably equate the word "capacity" with the energy density (relates to how long the power can be produced for).
And for energy density, these batteries are actually poor; the typical range is 100-160, these are 95.