03/11, 4:00pm
MIT Fast Recharge Battery
MIT scientists led by professor Gerbrand Ceder today said they have developed a new improvement on lithium-ion battery packs that could potentially eliminate the need for long recharge times or, in some cases, for larger batteries. By applying a coating of lithium phosphate to an existing battery design, the researchers steer the ions more directly to the "tunnels" leading to the battery terminal and thus supply a charge much faster than the more passive approach used today.
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12/12, 11:45am
Intel car batteries?
Chipmaker Intel may get into the battery making business for plug-in electric cars, if the company's former chief executive, Andrew Grove gets his way, according to a Friday WSJ report (membership required). Grove, 72, retired in 2005 but still advises Intel and is urging the current chief executive, Paul Otellini, to diversify the company's business by manufacturing batteries for the auto industry. Grove is a hybrid car proponent and sees it as an emerging market. He believes Intel's large research and development resources could bring down the costs of batteries, which are the most costly component of a plug-in vehicle.
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