Zinc-air battery could hold 3x more energy than lithium-ion | Hacker News Reader

Zinc-air battery could hold 3x more energy than lithium-ion

technologyreview.com

38 pointsMikeCapone14 comments

If the technology can be scaled up...

And there it is. Call me when it's more than a press release.

Nobody's pretending that it's on the market. It's very obviously an article about something that is in the lab. No need to be cynical.

Sorry, but I am cynical. The ratio of press-release-about-amazing-new-technology to commercial-availability-of-amazing-new-technology seems to be about 100 to 1. Whatever happened to under-promise and over-deliver?

You are well within your rights. I read a thousand articles about new technology ranging from graphite that is a super conductor to this. I haven't seen most of the technology I have read about and would appreciate reading about something coming out....Next year?

But then again- if it is coming out next year, it is conceivable that I would have already heard about it.

Sorry, Zinc air batteries are already used in hearing aids because they take up less space, but they don't reduce weight.

Zinc is far heavier than lithium, and delivers far fewer watts per pound not ideal for a car. or a laptop. http://www.ecogeek.org/component/content/article/2328

  Periodic Table of the Elements:
  Lithium: Li 3
  Zinc: Zn 30

PS: They cost less and have high volume efficiency so it might be useful for UPC's and other grid connected storage applications. But, they are not going to be as cheap as lead acid any time soon.

If this works, and it is cost-efficient, as is claimed, it's fucking epic!

I had a really good idea for a gadget, but it all fell apart because of the limitations on power storage, now my idea might actually be realistic. The person who starts selling this will not only make himself rich, but all the people who figure out new applcations for it will also have a chance to get rich.

I mean, it's obvious that laptops are going to get more awesome because of this, but think of all the things that didn't exist just because of power storage limitations!

It's hard to overstate how cool extended battery life can be. I replaced the batteries in my old Newton eMate with some modern NiMH rechargeables, and now get over 30 hours of continuous usage. In practice, that means I need to recharge about once a month.

That makes it an awesome device for backpacking, mountain climbing, adventuring anywhere you won't have an outlet. I once was able to type lengthy journal entries while traveling on the Tibetan Plateau. It was an amazing experience, and I couldn't have done it with a normal laptop.

Also if the capacity doesn't degrade as much as Li-Ion that would be great. Otherwise I'd hold my breath for those nuclear batteries.

Bah, waiting's for losers. Just steal a small RTG and rig a wireless charger to yourself, you'll never need to charge an appliance again, plus you can power your hybrid on the go . . . just stay away from any FBI agents, just in case.

I'd like to be able to keep one in my pants.

But wait, aren't they used in pacemakers??? So why aren't they commercially available now?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radioisotope_thermoelectric_gen...

it's obvious that laptops are going to get more awesome because of this

I remember reading that standard laptop batteries use cylindrical batteries in a block closure, meaning that the added cost of manufacturing them as blocks isn't worth the value users would get from an extra 50% battery life. I think cheaper manufacturing is what's key for laptops.

Block battery's reduce from factor, but they don't change the weight. If you want 50% more battery you end up with a ~50% heaver battery. Which is great for cellphones but laptop's are more limited by weight than volume.

Of course, once they start making laptops with these, the TSA will ban them.

And it's a lot lighter too! Except I heard about this over three years ago already.

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