RSSCES Countdown #7: Will someone please do something about battery life?
By Jacqueline Emigh | Published January 2, 2009, 11:06 AM
Vendors at CES 2009 will be displaying some interesting new workarounds to the persistent issue of short battery life, ranging from an "ECO On Mode" in MSI's Wind U115 netbook to a solar battery charging gadget from Energizer.
Battery life -- or more precisely, the lack thereof -- continues to be problematic for mobile users. The designs of laptops and other mobile devices are diversifying in individualistic directions, but long battery life is all too rarely one of those distinctive characteristics, even though individuals everywhere continue to request it.
Some of the latest laptops contain high-end features such as secondary displays, whereas others are small and light. But regardless of the size of the machine, users are typically forced to pack extra batteries and cables if they want to be able to work on their PCs for more than a few hours at a stretch.
Phones, digital cameras, and other smaller devices tend to offer more battery life. Still, however, batteries don't last forever without either replacement or recharging -- a situation that can lead to frenzied emergency hunts for 24-hour drug stores or vacant electrical outlets at Starbucks or the airport terminal when you're out on the road.
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| The battery technology quandary |
| Scott M. Fulton, III |
Here's the problem: The current lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery technology used by most notebook PC manufacturers today is not exactly ideal for the application. Despite what marketers tend to say, the typical duration of a Li-ion at full charge is about 2.5 hours. There are alternatives to Li-ion, but all those alternatives involve tradeoffs. Currently, manufacturers have settled upon Li-ion because it's relatively inexpensive to produce, has greater duration than the nickel-cadmium (Ni-Cad) technology it has generally replaced in the PC realm, and avoids the use of dangerous toxins such as cadmium. It also doesn't suffer from the so-called "memory problem" -- the tendency Ni-Cad has to reset its minimum power level to a higher point if one starts recharging it before it's fully discharged. Li-ion has also contributed greatly to reducing the weight of laptops. If only Li-ion lasted longer than the typical plane flight, it might be ideal. Panasonic has long been a champion of nickel metal hydride (Ni-Mh) technology, which is also lighter-weight compared to Ni-Cad, environmentally friendly (without the toxins), and theoretically has three times the capacity of Ni-Cad -- conceivably more than Li-ion. But it's not as inexpensive to produce (at least, not yet) and has a problem with more rapid discharge when not in use.  Another alternative -- one with which Apple has experimented from time to time -- is the lithium polymer (Li-poly) battery, which may be the most environmentally friendly concept yet, at least theoretically. Li-poly holds the promise of eventually being cheaper to produce than Li-ion, which is one reason auto maker Hyundai is investing in Li-poly for its own hybrid vehicles. Also in theory, Li-poly uses a solid electrolyte substance, whose low conductivity (should) make it less susceptible to overheating. But in notebook batteries, that's actually a problem; PCs need high enough conductivity to get hard drives spinning faster. That's one reason why the solid electrolyte is often complemented with gelled electrolytes in surrounding layers, and it's that gel that unfortunately contributes to the one problem Li-poly batteries should not have: overheating. It's a problem I've personally experienced, twice. |
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Vendors at next week's CES will show intriguing additional workarounds, although mostly these strategies tend to the proprietary side. Dell Latitude notebooks -- touted as offering ten to 19 hours of battery life during their introduction in August -- uses a power cell technology which Dell openly admits is proprietary, for example.
Power extending technologies can add to price tags, too. The HP EliteBook 6390p -- which trumps Dell's Latitudes by offering a very hopeful-sounding 24 hours of life -- has been advertised on HP's site as starting at $1,899, without either its "high-capacity battery" or other high-end options.
The battery life issue is especially acute among netbooks, which might stay up and running for two-and-a-half hours or less without recharging even when the machines are barely in use.
To lengthen life, some netbook vendors are resorting to larger batteries. Six-cell batteries have been introduced in Korea by Samsung and are also available in the US for some other netbooks, including the Asus Eee 1000H and certain models of the Acer Aspire One, for example.
Bigger batteries, however, add more weight -- a reality that kind of flies in the face of the main benefits of netbooks, anyway. Greater cost can enter into the picture, too. Asus' Eee 1000H, for instance, weighs one pound more and is one-half inch thicker than the 1000HA, a device which uses only a two-cell battery. The 1000H costs $650, in contrast to the $499 price tag of the HA.
MSI's new "hybrid" Wind U115, set for North American rollout at CES, uses the interesting approach of combining a solid state drive (SSD) with hard disk drive (HDD) to try to improve the duration of battery power. Generally, the U115's SSD is used for storing system files, and the HDD for storing data. But the device can also be placed in "ECO on Mode," reportedly resulting in battery life of up to five hours. In this mode, the netbook uses the SSD only, storing both data and system files there. The data then be backed up on to the HDD later.
HP's 6390p also involves non-battery components in its efforts to extend life. In launching this laptop in September, HP credited the machine's Intel SSDs with bringing up to 7% additional battery life increase over traditional hard drives, and its 14.1-inch IllumiLite LED screen with contributing a four-hour boost.
For digital cameras and other smaller devices, Energizer will introduce a gadget priced at $49.99 for recharging AA and AAA batteries using solar power.
Also being rolled out at CES 2009 is an iGo charger that will purportedly charge a netbook and some smaller machine -- such as a mobile phone -- at the same time, giving you the chance to pack one less cable when you're heading out.
Slowly and not always surely, vendors are producing more battery power. But still, it doesn't seem as though there'll ever be enough to go around.
FOLLOW THE COUNTDOWN:
- #13: Can automotive electronics maintain forward momentum? by Angela Gunn
- #12: Has streaming media already rendered discs obsolete? by Tim Conneally
- #11: Are the desktop PC's days waning? by Scott Fulton
- #10: Can technology keep television relevant in the digital era? by Tim Conneally
- #9: Will the smartphone become the 'new PC?' by Jacqueline Emigh
- #8: Can smart HDTVs bypass the 'media PC' altogether? by Scott Fulton
I guess this is a rhetorical question regarding batteries...as if there was a more efficient and economical solution, I will stick my neck out and guess that they would employ it!
But regarding electric cars - right! I truly wonder about those who see these as a real solution.
All they do is effectively replace the gas tank and move the point of power generation/conversion to a remote 'not in my backyard' location, along with the substantial transmission losses rendering the net use of fuel much less efficient than that which they pretend to eliminate!
Heck - want to reduce the number of generation plants by half? Simply refine superconductivity for use in transmission lines. Oh, but wait! That was the PRIMARY technology for which R&D would have been funded for that horrible idea callede "Star Wars". Yup, what a waste of research dollars where the technology could have effectively been waltzed out of the labs and immediately begun to pay for itself in the consumer and commercial sectors with a continuing positive return!Not to mention the effective recovery of almost half of the generated electical losses due to transmission losses over distance reducing the the need for generation plants!
But gee, it sure sounds good to those who lack the ability to critically analyze the solution from anything but an emotional perspective. I know...but you care...
Another solution akin to the farm subsidy bill masquerading as a biofuel from foodstuffs bill. Want to use cellulosic sedge grass and waste products not requiring petro-fertilizers or water - fine! But that ain't what we have now! Of course, we could also lower import tariffs on 3rd world ethanol from cane imported from SA and Africa - where we could actually help those economies - but heavens no.
In the short run, the most efficient ABUNDANT clean fuel that basically is only lacking in an efficient decentralized distribution schema is natural gas - which could easily be remedied by requiring gas companies to stock at least one pump per station - as they did with diesel - a step our liberal government solves all friends will of course have no problem with!
Of course, there is still a carbon footprint - so what is really funny is that nuclear is currently the only fuel ready to go that actually addresses that issue...
Fuel cells, battery cars, hydrogen (which is all but officially dead) all suffer fundamental issues with their being derivative and incredibly inefficient - in most cases requiring more energy to produce than they generate! Oopps!
But isn't it cute how so many miracle sources others tout as the answer suddenly seem to fade when they must actually pay for themselves (or simply be competitive!) or are expected to actually perform as promised? Funny how real solutions are a bit more involved then simply declaring a need or complaining that OTHERS haven't done it yet - regardless of how much one might claim to care.
And ironically, 60% of all of the energy use is used, not in cars, but in buildings, where simple insulation and weatherproofing and replacement of inefficient electrical lighting could make a much greater difference than replacing ALL of the cars! (And imagine the TOTAL delta if this were combined with super-efficient transmission technology) But gee, that isn't nearly as dramatic and that means we each have to do something ourself instead of simply blaming the problem on someone else and whining about when THEY will do it!
Yup, that individual responsibility that directly benefits one's own self interest with reduced ongoing energy costs is sure to be a failure as a proposed course of action as it requires US (as in 'YOU ALL') to actually do something instead of simply vote for "change" and to subsequently point at others as you place blame or issue edicts to others.
But never fear, I am sure that you folks can find someone to blame, as well as someone else to chastise for not solving the problem of your making and expectations quickly enough!
LOL!
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|Battery life does suck with most electronic equipment. MP3 players generally get good battery life but cell phones and bluetooth headsets get lousy battery life. I understand cell phones do more because their wireless and bluetooth and GPS and everything else and bluetooth headsets are small, but their has to be a better type of battery being made.
At least make batteries that charge faster. I think it is Nokia that has a bluetooth headset that can charge in 15 minutes instead of 2 hours. It wouldn't change things for people in the middle of nowhere but it would help a little.
What happened to fuel cell batteries? I haven't heard about them in almost a year.
And what happened to this company http://www.technologyreview.com/biztech/18086/
I haven't heard anything about them and their battery technology since this article.
I want a cell phone and headset that can get at least 10 hours if not more battery life. I also don't think most people will buy an electric car if it only gets 60 miles to a charge and takes 8 hours to charge. Alot of people can't afford a car for trips and a car for short runs like going to work or to the market. Hybrid cars sound nice on paper, but they still use gas and when you have to replace the batteries it costs thousands of dollars.
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|"I also don't think most people will buy an electric car if it only gets 60 miles to a charge and takes 8 hours to charge."
That, my friend, is why the American auto industry should be out of business. Who in their right mind would think this is a good idea? The batteries will have to be replaced in them too, and not to mention the inconvenience mentioned in this article finding a power outlet, but for a car owner.
Fuel cells are the only logical answer at this time. Maybe we can find something even better.
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|Don't even get me started with that. I mean I live in the about 45 miles outside of Los Angeles, and I sometimes go and visit friends out there. What am I suppose to do when their is traffic and it takes me an hour and a half to two hours to get there? I doubt an electric car will last that long on a charge? Plus then I get to my friends house and he doesn't have a garage, so what am I to do when I have to park it on the street? Get out my 100 foot extension cord (thats if I'm lucky enough to be able to park 100 feet from his building)? Electric cars are great for short hops but for people who actually drive they don't work. If someone can come out with a battery that will stay charged for 300 miles and charge in 30 minutes or less that would be great...will that happen in our life time? probably not.
Fuel cells sound good for cell phones and bluetooth headsets but I'm not sure how well they would work with a car. The only ones I've seen are the ones that you fill with the butane like canister. So I'm not sure of any other type.
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|I'd be willing to put up with these so-called minor inconveniences to get an electric vehicle. Besides, most of the issues you talk about are infrastructure related, and if all (or majority) of vehicles were electric, the infrastructure would follow:
- Most proposed and existing electric vehicles can get 300+ miles to a charge. If you have a battery swap system like we do with propane tank swaps, you can have a fully charged vehicle in minutes.
- Electricity is already prevalent. Sure there aren't outlets in every garage, but it wouldn't be prohibitively expensive to add them. Speaking of garages, how much HVAC is used to pump clean air into underground garages that wouldn't be necessary with battery-bound cars?
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|Even then it's still completely useless.
Technology is only accepted/sought after by the masses if it is equal or better than the original.
No mug is going to want to wait half an hour to charge their car when currently it takes 2 minutes in a petrol station.
Hydrogen is the only plausible long-term alternative that's currently being produced. The LPG cars are a short-term stopgap than can work while hydrogen is researched more.
The only problem with hydrogen is when the first explosion of a tank happens and how the PR is dealt with.
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|just gives us a ton weighting laptop that will stay on for a week, put 100 rechargeable batteries in it, you can, technology is getting smaller and lightweight, instead of charging extra adding features like a little widescreen recording camera and some bluray, charge us for the extra batteries. why cant you go "we cannot get this laptop lighter, that will put in risk that users might get the minimum of one week of battery time."
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|Correction:
It's "older Nickel Cadmium (NiCd) batteries", not Lithium Cadmium.
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