Archive for the 'Rechargeable Batteries' Category

28
Apr

Are rechargeable batteries in smartphones at their limit?

We have come to a point in technology where it appears we are not progressing any further in rechargeable battery technology for Smartphones. It’s either pick one for battery life, and make it threw the day with so-so performance, or the high end quad core phone that should make it threw lunchtime.

Sure, you can just simply get a battery extender case, which almost doubles the weight and thickness of the phone, but why should we have to? Can’t we simply have a Smartphone that will just last all day and into the next?

iphone-battery-dead

As contemplated by The Independent regarding this balance of battery life vs performance:

The Great Smartphone Conundrum. The time has come – we’re going to have to choose between performance and battery life. Smartphones keep getting faster. If you buy a new high-end phone this year, you’ll find it’s noticeably more powerful than last year’s best gadgets. It will let you run much more demanding apps, it will load up web pages more quickly, and it will deliver sharper, more advanced videos and games.

The Independent continues to dissect the problem:

One of the reasons phones have been getting faster is that they’re also getting bigger. A bigger phone allows for a bigger battery, which allows for a faster processor. But now we’ve hit a wall in phone size: Today’s biggest and fastest phones carry screens of around 5in, and they’re not going to get any bigger than that. (If they did, they wouldn’t fit in your hand.)

Well, they actually have gotten bigger than 5”, the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 has proven that at 5.5” and they just seem to get closer and closer to the 7” tablet market size. But there needs to be a better solution than simply installing the largest battery that will fit and making phones that weight .22kg or more.

We need to see some changes at the rate the Smartphone market is growing as well, as that is the single biggest complaint, and limitation of the industry today.

By Michael Nace

 

18
Apr

Are you ready for a power outage?

Are you prepared for a power outage of any length of time in your home? We really don’t think of this situation until it is upon us, so perhaps now is a good time to gather together some essentials in the unfortunate event of a blackout.

flashlight torch

 

Do you have enough Torches, and especially batteries to power them?  Vapex instant D sized Rechargeables have excellent shelf life.  They retain 80% of their capacity after 6 months and 70% after 12 months compared to standard Ni-MH rechargeable batteries.

If you happen to have an abundance of AA sized rechargeables around the house already, then perhaps some AA to D sized Battery Convertors might be of interest to you.  These allow you to run 2 AA batteries in parallel to double the mAh output of the battery, and make the most of what you already have.

Vapex also makes a nifty 12v AAA and AA battery charger that can run off of a car charger in the event you need to recharge some AA’s to keep powering smaller emergency devices like portable radios and smaller battery lamps.

Just make sure that you don’t forget to keep spare batteries fully charged in the event of an emergency, if you don’t want to sit around in the dark wishing you had dropped the batteries in the charger just a few days ago.

By Michael Nace

 

11
Apr

Chevy Volt Battery Tech Questioned After Billions needlessly spent

The Chevy Volt is being questioned as to the reliability and cost of it’s rechargeable battery design. It appears that never ending funding has been poured into this, and similar vehicles by the government due to their policies concerning low emission vehicles.

Regardless of the billions the US government has spent toward development costs and tax credits to purchasers of the vehicles themselves – the electric rechargeable vehicle is still not a viable alternative to a gas or diesel powered engine for the large majority of the public.

As noted from National Legal and Policy Center:

In addition to the efficiency limitations, we have an even more troubling question as to the safety of the Volt’s technology. GM keeps a team of Hazmat specialists on call to respond to any Onstar notifications of accidents involving a Volt. Firefighters, unless properly trained, must stay away from the complex, volatile power source which has more than 600 seals and cooling components to keep it safe. In fact, according to Josh Payne who worked on the first Volt battery and is now senior engineering manager at Energy Power Systems, “That’s 600 seals that all have to stay for the entirety of its life otherwise you have catastrophic failures.” That does not sound too reassuring!

The worst part of this mostly-untold story is the taxpayer money that continues to be wasted on the green pipe dream. The American people were lied to about the potential for the Chevy Volt, as well as for the technology behind it. Billions of dollars were spent on grants and failed loans for production of plug-in EVs, lithium-ion batteries and charging stations. Wealthy purchasers of $40,000 Chevy Volts and $100,000 Teslas receive federal tax credits for $7,500 each. Subsidized battery makers like A123 Systems are bankrupt and government-supported, green automaker Fisker is not far from it. How are middle-class or poor Americans benefiting from any of this?

The answer simply is – they are not seeing any sort of benefit. Most middle-class purchasers are not spending $40,000 on a car to save a few mpg or to have to plug it in every $200 miles, they want a practical vehicle they can refill its ‘power’ in under 10 minutes – At the gas station.

By Michael Nace

 

09
Apr

has the Rechargeable battery vehicle died?

People are wishing for an affordable electric vehicle that you can simply plug in for a short duration to charge, and have the range of a typical gas guzzler or more. The problem here is not the vehicle itself, but the Rechargeable Battery that is powering said vehicle. It is currently expensive, takes hours to charge vs 5 minutes at the gas pump, and offers limited range for the amount of energy you just put into it.

As noted from Business Insider:

A much better battery is the “holy grail,” says Jack Nerad, executive editorial director and market analyst at Kelley Blue Book. While lots of parties are working on it, “nobody’s got there yet.”
Until someone does, the story of the electric car in the United States will continue to be one of high expectations and consistent letdowns.

Fisker, a startup funded in part by nearly $200 million from the Department of Energy, just fired three quarters of its workforce and is in the process of imploding. It has not produced a single Atlantic, the model designed to be the “volume car that begins to build growth.”

Tesla, another government-funded startup, has achieved profitability for this quarter (a major milestone), but despite unending promises that it will soon bring an affordable car to market, its prices have only gone up.

Are we just spinning our wheels handing out government funds to start-ups without seeing anything in return? Or will we keep trying to find the elusive formula to the magical rechargeable battery that will finally outperform the traditional fossil fuel engine?

04
Apr

Moore’s Law for rechargeable batteries?

Electric cars are starting to catch on, but quite slowly. Perhaps it’s the size and cost of the huge rechargeable battery that can cost up to a 3rd of the vehicle price that is deterring potential buyers. Along with the price comes a limited driving range as well – people are watching the power level while they are driving not unlike a smartphone user hoping their battery lasts the day until they can recharge again.

Photo credit: jurvetson / Foter.com / CC BY

Moore’s law is the observation that over the history of computer hardware, the number of transistors on integrated circuits doubles roughly every two years. We take technology for granted – we expect the computer we buy 2 years from now to be twice as fast as our old one.

Fred Schlacter has an essay on why batteries are basically different from computers, or other electronic gadgets such as tablets:

“The reason there is a Moore’s Law for computer processors is that electrons are small and they do not take up space on a chip. Chip performance is limited by the lithography technology used to fabricate the chips; as lithography improves ever smaller features can be made on processors.
Batteries are not like this. Ions, which transfer charge in batteries, are large, and they take up space, as do anodes, cathodes, and electrolytes. A D-cell battery stores more energy than an AA-cell. Potentials in a battery are dictated by the relevant chemical reactions, thus limiting eventual battery performance. Significant improvement in battery capacity can only be made by changing to a different chemistry.
Scientists and battery experts, who have been optimistic in the recent past about improving lithium-ion batteries and about developing new battery chemistries—lithium/air and lithium/sulfur are the leading candidates—are considerably less optimistic now.”

So to be realistic, we cannot expect to continue to utilize the same technology and demand to have smaller, lighter, and more powerful rechargeable battery technology. Changes will have to be made, and new research heavily funded to make sufficient progress. We are still utilizing technology developed in the late 1850’s to start our cars every day.

02
Apr

Into Photography? Here is some must have info about rechargeables

If you’re into photography, then you should already familiar with batteries of all types. Camera Batteries, external flash batteries, Light meter batteries, etc. If you’re still using Alkaline batteries, you must have spent a small fortune in replacement costs by now. If you have not looked into rechargeables to power all of your equipment, now is the time.

Typically most accessories will run on the standard AA sized battery, with a few exceptions utilizing AAA, such as a light meter. These are easiest ones to convert to rechargeables. Check out the great selection of AA’s over at Electronics Warehouse.

Here is some vocabulary that you need to know regarding rechargeable batteries.

mAh. (milliamp hour) This is the storage capacity of the battery. It will be your guide to compare what batteries have more expected runtime than others. a 1900mAh battery will have a shorter run time, or number of flashes then a battery rated for 2500mAh. Typically the larger the capacity, the slightly higher the cost of the battery.

Low Self Discharge. Rechargeable batteries will lose some of their charge if simply left unused. Newer batteries have been developed to reduce this drain effect and will provide a longer shelf life, or in this case – a better “camera bag” life.

NiMh and NiCad. NiMh is nickel metal hydride, and NiCad, is nickel-cadmium. NiMh is the battery of choice, as it provides many more desirable characteristics that you as a photographer want out of your batteries – sich as Low Self Discharge, longer running time and no cell memory.

NiCad’s have a memory issue, and if they are not cycled completely on a regular basis, they will pick up “bad charging habits” and provide a lower performance. They are cheaper, but will cost you more than the purchase price down the road.

As discussed by Brian Rock over at HubPages:

For general usage, you’ll probably want standard capacity, low self-discharge batteries. 2000 mAh is good enough, and you’re better off having batteries that hold their charge in your camera bag than higher capacity batteries that discharge too quickly.”

And as additional comment:

“For some people, though, you’ll the extra power of the high capacity batteries. Let’s say you’re using several flashes off camera, and you’re popping the flashes regularly at half or full power. That will use up your batteries fairly quickly, and an extra 25% capacity can make a difference. The trade-off is that these batteries will discharge more quickly when not in use, so you’ll want to remember to charge them the night before an important shoot.

If your main camera runs on AA’s, a simple change over to Rechargeables is easy enough. However if your trusty Canon requires a more specialized battery, it would be good to have at least one spare, in the event you require more power. Again, Electronics Warehouse has a great selection for your Canon.

Now lets look at chargers. Energizer makes a 15 minute quick charger that seems fantastic in concept, until you actually use one. They know that the batteries are going to be putting off so much heat from the charging process, that they have a fan running to try to keep the batteries cool during this process. And once done, the batteries are far too hot to even hold in your hand.

This is a sure fire way to really reduce the life expectancy of your AA rechargeables for the convenience of a quick charge.

For best results, you want a smart charger that actually monitors battery voltage and capacity during the charge process. Check out Electronics Warehouse for their great selection of chargers to fit your needs.

Photo credit: Monkwhy / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA

31
Mar

Cool rechargeable battery innovations that could revolutionize our future

Have you ever thought how different your life would be if all your electronic devices had to be plugged in to work? Not very convenient or portable now, are they? You would have to get up to change the channel on the TV, there would not be such a thing as a portable phone, or laptop that could be unplugged. We would have wires running everywhere!

Forget starting your car without being near an outlet, if the engine was shut off, there would not be a way to restart it. Regardless of the technology, there is typically some sort of battery inside that keeps the device going that we are not even aware of.

As detailed by Ovo Energy:

“Modern life as we know it owes a lot to the humble battery, the first incarnation of which came about in 1800. From the cumbersome monsters used in cars to the tiny lithium dots in watches, batteries are an integral part of our lives and have three main components: two electrodes (the positive anode and the negative cathode) and a medium called an electrolyte, which allows positively charged ions to move between the electrodes in balance with the flow of negatively charged electrons – this is the ‘useful current’, or the battery’s ‘zap’, for want of a better term.
The batteries we know and love are usually little cylindrical AA types – the kind that power TV remotes and cameras. Alas, as crucial as they’ve been to technological evolution, they’re not so great for the environment; they’re difficult and dangerous to get rid of, and their disposable nature means they’re pretty wasteful, too. But like all things in these techy times, plans are afoot to make batteries slimmer, cheaper, more efficient and better for the environment.”

We have some fascinating new technology coming soon that will only improve our interdependence upon the rechargeable battery. New discoveries such as Graphene, Flexible lithium-ion, as well as lithium-air batteries, where even oxygen is used as a catalyst.
By Michael Nace

26
Mar

US is outsourcing its Lead-Acid battery recycling…to Mexico?

The United States is outsourcing a product, but not exactly for the typical reasons you might think. America is sending its Lead-Acid battery recycling to Mexico. Why, you ask? The laws governing safety concerns are much less restrictive across the border, than within the US.

The primary concern is the handling of the lead that is extracted from the used batteries. Mexican factories can blatantly ignore the issues with lead emissions spilling into the local environment, with regulations 1/10th as strict as the United States has specified.

As noted by the Miami Herald:

The result has been an ever-increasing surge in the trade of used batteries across the border. One watchdog group estimated that in 2011, the dead batteries headed to Mexico would have filled 17,952 tractor-trailers. And the trade keeps growing, the result of a stark regulatory gap that has left Mexico at risk of becoming a “pollution haven,” according to a Montreal-based commission that investigates environmental issues under the North American Free Trade Agreement, the economic accord between the U.S., Mexico and Canada.

Most American consumers have no clue what happens to their old rechargeable battery, and likely assume that the retail shop selling them the new one will take care and recycle it properly.

It is highly concerning that the US government does not regulate this sort of export, as mishandling of lead can cause serious medical issues if left untreated. It appears that the business cost of properly recycling the batteries locally is put ahead of the environmental impact this might create, perhaps just a few hundred miles away.
As stated by the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – “there is no safe level of lead.”
 
By Michael Nace

24
Mar

Solar power may just have become competitive

Australian Renewable Energy Agency is being provided funding from the government to further research renewable energy storage solutions.

The company Ecoult would be developing upon the fundamentals of the Deka UltraBattery technology platform, which should produce a efficient model for future storage uses of residential and commercial locations.

A Deka UltraBattery is the combination of an enhanced power negative electrode in a lead-acid rechargeable battery. This design gives the battery a extremely low level of electrical resistance similar to a super-capacitor. By developing this type of battery, this eliminates the need for a separate bank of batteries and capacitors, along with the wiring requirements of combining the 2 grids together.

As observed by Energy and Capital:

In its early stages, the program aims at developing a battery storage system prototype for three main types of deficit charge or distributed energy needs. These include off-grid renewable power, distributed connected storage to support power and voltage fluctuations (especially in areas with a high concentration of rooftop solar installments), and hybrid generation of power to gain efficiencies.

Ecoult has make progress with the Deka platform in the past, with other installations around the globe. Currently, Ecoult is working on executing its installation at the King Island Renewable Energy Integration Project, thus could reduce its reliance on older less environmentally friendly diesel power systems. Australia is making great strides in environmental advances toward reducing the number of fossil fuel power sources it is currently employing, and that something that we all can benefit from.
 
By Michael Nace

19
Mar

Obama Administration is requesting $2 Billion for Electric Vehicle Research & Development funding

President Obama is expecting Congress to approve the use of royalties granted for the use of oil exploration to give $2 billion of funding for the Research and Development of advanced vehicle technologies over a ten-year period.

This funding is intended to be used across several fields of research, including new technologies in the rechargeable battery field for autos. Congress was not as strongly focused as President Obama was regarding this endeavor, as they only initially granted half of the $650 million that was initially requested for Electrical vehicle research.

As referenced by Gas2.org:

The research mentioned is for the development of electric vehicle, biofuel, battery, and compressed natural gas technology. The development of battery technology is important to both electric vehicles, as well as the electricity grid, and the entire effort to switch to renewable energy sources such as solar and wind power.

It’s tremendous that the US President is pushing for advances in electric vehicles, and the associated battery technology that goes along with it, but is it realistic? President Obama has stated a goal of 1 million electric vehicles on the roads by 2015, just under 2 years from now. Even with the huge amount of funding being requested, the development of rechargeable battery technology will likely not happen so quickly as he has initially anticipated.

Hopefully this backing will be put to good use and we can see some future advancements in the electric vehicle as well as rechargeable battery developments, even if we do not reach the lofty goal of a million electrics whizzing down the road by 2015.
 
By Michael Nace




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