China’s AutoFlight currently holds the record for world’s longest eVTOL flight with the 155.7-mile (250.6-km) mark it set in 2023 in the dramatic Prosperity air taxi designed by former McLaren and Lilium draft king Frank Stephenson. Now its robust battery and range-maximizing technology is poised to get a major boost, as the company has signed […]
Lithium News
Layering stretchable and rigid materials and incorporating machine learning improves accuracy of wearables
Researchers at Yokohama National University have developed a stretchy, high-precision measurement wearable device that combines soft polymer materials and rigid electronic elements. This device can accurately measure inertial data even if it extends up to 2.5 times its length. The combination of this stretchable high-precision device and machine learning achieved multiple types of motion recognition […]
Instead of competing for land, some farmers and solar developers want to work side by side
Matt Riggs’ family has been farming in Urbana since 1874. But, his parents had to work second jobs to cushion themselves from the volatile corn and soybean markets that dominate Illinois’ agricultural sector. In the past few years, Riggs has realized the land his family has worked for 150 years is also ideal for solar […]
World’s first 18650-sized potassium-ion battery aims to fill lithium gap
The vast majority of our portable electronic gadgets, and the new wave of electric transportation, are powered by lithium batteries. Texas-based startup Group1 has developed a more sustainable alternative, and has now launched the world’s first 18650 potassium-ion battery. Group1 was co-founded in 2021 by battery tech veterans, including Leigang Xue who currently serves as […]
Adding thin layer of tin prevents short-circuiting in lithium-ion batteries
Lithium-ion batteries have a lot of advantages. They charge quickly, have a high energy density, and can be repeatedly charged and discharged. They do have one significant shortcoming, however: they’re prone to short-circuiting. This occurs when a connection forms between the two electrodes inside the cell. A short circuit can result in a sudden loss […]
How often should you change your car battery? Depends where you live
You may think it’s just an old wives’ tale, but it’s actually true: Temperature impacts the life of your car battery. Extreme temperatures — something we know a bit about here in the South — are particularly cruel to our car batteries. While an average car battery can live about 5 years in more northern […]
World’s largest sodium battery unit capable of powering 12,000 homes a day goes operational: ‘Unmatched by other batteries’
About 12,000 Chinese households can now be powered by salt. In truth, the “world’s largest” sodium-ion battery system in Qianjiang is proof that the unique power pack chemistry can store a hoard of renewable energy, reliably putting it on the grid, according to PV Magazine and Interesting Engineering. The system was put online in June […]
Samsung’s EV battery breakthrough: 600-mile charge in 9 mins, 20 year lifespan
Samsung recently made a splash in the industry by showcasing its recent advancements in battery technology, especially related to solid-state batteries. At the SNE Battery Day 2024 expo in Seoul, South Korea, the company revealed that its pilot solid-state battery production line is now fully operational. “We built a pilot line last year to mass-produce […]
Tumbling lithium prices push Albemarle to fresh round of cost cuts
Albemarle, the world’s largest lithium producer, said on Wednesday it would slash costs for the second time this year and that everything but its dividend could be on the chopping block. The aggressive move was caused by tumbling prices for the metal used to make electric vehicle batteries after the company swung to a second-quarter […]
Microwave technique recovers 87% of batteries’ lithium in 15 minutes
Lithium is a finite resource, and the more we lock inside rechargeable batteries, the less we have to use. A new speedy method to free the element from such sources could be a game changer in terms of the material’s availability. Thanks to our modern day way of purchasing rechargeable everything – including cars – […]
