IBM working on new battery tech

[begreen]

It's in the early stages, but IBM researchers are claiming they are developing new battery technology to replace lithium-ion in heavy-duty usage applications like transportation and storage. Their work is proprietary, but it is showing enough promise that they have started partnerships with several companies to develop a marketable product. The battery does not rely on heavy metals. It has higher power density than Li-ion and takes a charges much faster (80% in 5 minutes). Hope this works. If successful it could jumpstart the transportation sector and open new opportunities in areas like aviation.

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[peakbagger]

It did sound intriguing but it sounded like this was in the basic research stage and will be awhile before they have a product. All they had to do was add the work "nano" in multiple places and my hype detector would be going off.

 

[begreen]

Yes, though the research stage has developed far enough that they are now working with partners for creating a form factor, components and supply chain for a market product. Wondering if Mercedes is going to be their testbed with their next-generation EV vehicles.

 

[Qvist]

Sounds promising hopefully it all pans out.

 

[peakbagger]

The seawater extraction aspect is also interesting. Seawater contains quite a few elements, the problem is the concentration. There is finally a renewed effort for ocean floor mining. That was hyped a lot at one point it turned out it was cover for recovering a Russian submarine wreck. It would be great if battery chemistry could shift away from rarer elements to more common materials. On the other hand I was involved with a flow battery project that used that approach and the company effectively went out of business as the market wanted lithium. Bill Gates and other big investors went bust on Aquion Energy (salt water batteries) but the hope is still out there.