Lithium ion batteries will now last for long

How many times have you faced this scenario? You are running behind, you grab your cell phone, and you realize that your phone's battery is on its last legs. Or, you have taken your laptop outside the home to do some work, but your unit is almost out of juice in just a couple of short hours. Chances are, we have all been in these situations. Luckily, scientists at the Argonne National Laboratory in Illinois have preliminary plans for a solution to these and other problems with lithium ion batteries.

These researchers have created new energy for lithium ion batteries that increases a battery's life. This new battery averages an increase of over 30 percent in power compared to the current offering of lithium ion power supplies. These batteries also address a problem common in today's crop. While old lithium ion tended to lose its ability to recharge itself in a fairly short time span, the new batteries also improve upon the old set's length of life.

Finally, the new lithium ion batteries offer a safer alternative to the old. The chance of fire in an overcharged or damaged unit, quite common in old batteries, is virtually eliminated. In fact, up until a couple of weeks ago, the only hold-up in manufacturing these units was the inability to find a cost-effective producer. Enter Toda Kogyo.

This Japan-based company claims to have the capacity to build and manufacture 30 million laptop batteries a year. The scientists at Argonne think that Toda Kogyo is the ideal candidate to make their dream battery a reality for the average consumer. They have selected the company as their primary battery producer, but nothing has yet been confirmed as to when these units will begin showing up in computers and cell phones for consumers to purchase.

Whatever the timeframe is for these new lithium ion batteries to hit the market, I think it is safe to say that they will be a welcome sight. Any improvement, no matter how marginal, is beneficial when dealing with the limited lifespan of the current crop of batteries. Hopefully, this will prevent the dreaded out-of-power scenario (although it would probably take an infinite power supply to stop people from letting juice dissipate without charging) from continuing to be the recurring problem it is. I applaud these researchers, and I look forward to having these batteries available to purchase.