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    NEC develops lithium-ion battery technology with doubled lifespan

    NEC develops lithium-ion battery technology with doubled lifespan

    By Nathan Ingraham

    Source Computerworld

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    Batteries, from scalespeeder (flickr)
    Batteries, from scalespeeder (flickr)

    NEC announced Monday that it has successfully developed new lithium-ion battery technology which may deliver double the lifespan of existing models, though there are no immediate plans for this technology to make its way into consumer products. NEC projects that by the time this new technology is ready to be deployed, its batteries will hold 50% of their charge for 33 years, more than twice as long as those currently in use.

    To compare this to consumer-oriented battery technology, Apple's various MacBook lines are rated to deliver 80 percent capacity after 1,000 cycles; Nissan doesn't give cycle counts for the Leaf, but notes that the battery should last over 10 years, with a 30 percent expected capacity decline. NEC's battery, on the other hand, holds 83 percent capacity after more than 23,000 cycles. By the time batteries this powerful are available, users' devices will be outdated and ready to be replaced long before the battery dies out.

    Given that these batteries are designed for use cases like powering electrical systems in buildings, long life is crucial; hopefully, this technology will trickle down to our gadgets sooner or later. 

    Image credit: scalespeeder (Flickr)