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It's important to note, though, that this kind of breakthrough is hardly the kind of invention that Musk is interested in. The world of batteries doesn't revolv

by weland 12y ago

It's important to note, though, that this kind of breakthrough is hardly the kind of invention that Musk is interested in. The world of batteries doesn't revolve around Elon and Tesla. This is sort of a big deal for those of us who design small electronic devices, not electric cars. Not having to factor in the potential fire hazard of a rechargeable battery for a keychain that the user has in his pocket or thrown in her purse or luggage is pretty useful -- and many such devices are thrown away along with their batteries, making them even bigger an environmental problem than they already are. Even if these devices offer no improvement in terms of energy density, they're still a pretty big deal. It's also worth remembering that Li-Ion and even Li-Po batteries weren't necessarily stellar in terms of energy density when they were discovered, either -- they reached their current status through quite some industrial development. It's also helpful if they can really stay steady at 2V (before the discharge cycle goes down abruptly), that would simplify 1.5V designs a lot, and help drive the space (and price!) further down.

algirau 12y ago
The global energy storage market is and will continue to be driven by electric vehicles (no pun intended!) and consumer electronics. For these applications a faster charge/discharge is nice to have, a non-flammable material is nice to have but a high energy density is a MUST HAVE which Aluminum-ions don't. My interpretation of a big deal is relative to the number of people it will positively influence. I wouldn't consider this a big deal, and in fact have heard the same claim at least once per month (ex. Titanium dioxide nanotube batteries http://www.gizmag.com/quick-charge-li-ion-battery/34347/ http://www.gizmag.com/quick-charge-li-ion-battery/34347/).
- weland 12y ago
  The last time I read about this, it was expected that, at one point, in 2020 or so, electrical vehicle batteries are finally going to become a relatively important component of the battery market. There's a lot of money being poured into it because a lot of people are trying to move towards electric vehicles, but in terms of actual numbers being produced, the EVBs are dwarfed even by regular car batteries. Of course, EVBs are incredibly important, especially from an R&D perspective, but I don't think the market is being driven my them. My information may be a little out of date though. As for consumer electronics, it's worth remembering that there are probably thousands of coin-cell operated keychains for every smartphone whose energy density capacity is not being satisfied by our current technology. There are a lot of consumer electronic devices for which current battery technology is OK -- better density would be an improvement, as it is everywhere, but it's no longer the hog it is for smartphones. For those, ease of recycling, lack of fire hazard and the slightly simpler circuitry really are important.

by weland 12y ago

algirau 12y ago

The global energy storage market is and will continue to be driven by electric vehicles (no pun intended!) and consumer electronics. For these applications a faster charge/discharge is nice to have, a non-flammable material is nice to have but a high energy density is a MUST HAVE which Aluminum-ions don't. My interpretation of a big deal is relative to the number of people it will positively influence. I wouldn't consider this a big deal, and in fact have heard the same claim at least once per month (ex. Titanium dioxide nanotube batteries http://www.gizmag.com/quick-charge-li-ion-battery/34347/ http://www.gizmag.com/quick-charge-li-ion-battery/34347/).

weland 12y ago
The last time I read about this, it was expected that, at one point, in 2020 or so, electrical vehicle batteries are finally going to become a relatively important component of the battery market. There's a lot of money being poured into it because a lot of people are trying to move towards electric vehicles, but in terms of actual numbers being produced, the EVBs are dwarfed even by regular car batteries. Of course, EVBs are incredibly important, especially from an R&D perspective, but I don't think the market is being driven my them. My information may be a little out of date though. As for consumer electronics, it's worth remembering that there are probably thousands of coin-cell operated keychains for every smartphone whose energy density capacity is not being satisfied by our current technology. There are a lot of consumer electronic devices for which current battery technology is OK -- better density would be an improvement, as it is everywhere, but it's no longer the hog it is for smartphones. For those, ease of recycling, lack of fire hazard and the slightly simpler circuitry really are important.