|
This piece from today’s online Wired magazine will
have some interest to many of us. Will be interesting application to subs
as these batteries become more available. Super The M1 stomps all over
today's cells. The M1, based on the
same lithium-ion technology used in your cell phone and laptop, has twice the
power of standard 18-volt tools and run for twice as long per charge. It's what drill-wielding
DIYers have craved for ages: More power! And a new line of teeth-rattling
36-volt cordless saws, rotary hammers, and drills from DeWalt, a division of
Black & Decker, finally delivers. The potent black-and-yellow beasts have
twice the power of standard 18-volt tools and run for twice as long per charge.
How? Each packs the M1 battery, a hand grenade of electrons that promises to
transform mobile power. The M1, based on the
same lithium-ion technology used in your cell phone and laptop, is the first
product from MIT spinoff A123 Systems. Cofounder Yet-Ming Chiang, a materials
science professor, succeeded in shrinking to nanoscale the particles that coat
the battery's electrodes and store and discharge energy. The results are
electrifying: Power density doubles, peak energy jumps fivefold (the cells pack
more punch than a standard 110-volt wall outlet), and recharging time plummets.
Going nano also solves a safety problem. Regular high-capacity Li-ion batteries
tend to explode under severe stress, like if they're dropped from a ladder. The rechargeable battery
industry, dominated by Asian giants like Sanyo, Sony, and Toshiba, is worth
more than $6 billion a year. A123 - whose investors include Motorola, Qualcomm,
and the Pentagon's VC arm, OnPoint Technologies - aims to radically expand that
market, by both cutting the cords on conventional plug-in tools and home
appliances and powering brawny electric versions of everything from lawn mowers
to military surveillance drones. A123's real target,
however, is your car. Chiang says A123's cells could lighten a Toyota Prius'
100-pound battery by as much as 80 percent and help boost any hybrid's
performance. The quick recharging time - the M1 takes five minutes to reach 90
percent capacity - plus high peak power also would be ideal for plug-in
versions of gas-electric vehicles. With a bit more research, the world's roads
may someday see fast, zero-carbon autos that zip past gas guzzlers and tank up
from the grid faster than a rest-stop Starbucks can serve you a latte. - Spencer Reiss Respectfully, Jay K. Jeffries |