Currently, when you look up โbatteriesโ on the Internet, itโs all about cars. Cars and solar power. And while Iโm sure all that is very important, what I really want to know is how is this going to help me drive that next screw or demo my current remodel project? Where is the fast battery charging for power tools? Researchers at MIT have developed a new way of making Lithium-ion batteries that makes the power more available, makes them last longer, and allows them to charge a lot faster.
So how does this work? Well, the problem was that scientists had calculated that the lithium ions should be moving very quickly. As we all know, Lithium-ion batteries charge considerably faster than their Ni-Cd battery or NiMH batteries, but itโs still not what we would normally consider โspeedyโ. In theory, it should all be much faster. The lab coats decided that there must be something slowing down the ions โ and there was. Apparently, the lithium iron phosphate was slowing down the ionsโ movement. What they needed were โhigh-speed lanesโ for them to access. Fast-forward a few years, and the scientists had created a new coating on the surfaces of the crystals that allowed the ions to move much faster.
MUCH faster!
The battery can hold more, can discharge faster, and can charge faster. The problem? Well, while it can technically charge in a few seconds, your wall socket might not be able to supply the required juice for fast battery charging on this scale. Depending on the size of the battery and the speed of the charge, you might be looking at anything from a few dimmed lights toโฆ oh, say, shutting down the city for a few seconds. Not very practical.
From a tool perspective, though, fast battery chargingย in seconds is very exciting. Li-ion may be the new kid on the block, but a โnewโ new kid might make the โoldโ new kid a lot more affordable. The new โsuperโ Li-ion batteries may be brand new, but the technology has already been demonstrated and licensed. I wouldnโt be surprised if we see something on the market in just a few short years.
Personally, I wouldnโt mind all the lights dimming in the house when I plug in my cordless impact driver for its daily 2-second recharge.
