Is there really no breakthrough in battery technology? No. Long-distance wireless charging, solid-state batteries, microbial fuel cells, charging with ambient light...too much.

　　Manufacturers and consumers hope that the battery life of the device can be extended. Every time a new mobile phone is launched, we will see some new features, such as higher and higher screen resolutions and better and better cameras. At the same time, we all Longing for battery life to be extended.

　　For most people, if they use their mobile phones during the day and day, they usually charge them at night. Some people simply carry a power bank with them or look for sockets everywhere. When the electric vehicle revolution is surging, fast charging and long battery life become the key to the revolution.

　　In fact, battery life has been improving, but the benefits of technological advancement cannot be fully seen in daily equipment.

　　What else is there? There is also wireless charging. The technology we are talking about is not about putting the phone on a charging pad, but about long-distance wireless charging. If wireless charging can be achieved over long distances, the device can always have electricity, no matter where it is.

　　current technology

　　At present, the batteries used in mobile phones and electric vehicles are still lithium-ion batteries. Lithium batteries charge quickly, can be recharged many times, and the battery capacity is relatively large. However, current equipment consumes more power than ever before. If cars want to improve efficiency, they also need fast charging technology. In the future, batteries will still play an important role.

　　Louis Shaffer, an expert at Eaton, a power management solution provider, said: "We always hear people say that batteries have made breakthroughs, but mobile phones are still using lithium-ion batteries. Innovation takes time. Li-ion batteries have been used for more than 30 years. Lithium-ion battery was invented in the 1980s and finally installed in the iPhone."

　　Smart lamp manufacturer Tridonic's product manager Chris Slattery believes that there is an important reason for the slow progress: "Why upgrade your mobile phone? The shortened battery life of existing mobile phones is an important reason."

　　"If the battery life problem can be solved, and the function of the phone has not changed much, then the main driving force for upgrading a new smartphone will be one less."

　　Super capacitor

　　Many people believe that supercapacitors are the future of energy storage technology. They can store energy in an electric field without forming a chemical reaction. The battery will have a chemical reaction. In this way, the number of charge and discharge cycles of supercapacitor technology will be much more than that of batteries. .

　　TaaviMadiburk, CEO of Skeleton Technologies, a global supercapacitor storage solution provider, believes: "In the future, we will not replace lithium-ion batteries. Instead, we will combine lithium-ion technology with supercapacitors to form a hybrid solution."

　　"In this way, we can combine the high energy density of batteries with the high power density and high output power of supercapacitors."

　　"It takes only 2-3 seconds to fully charge the supercapacitor, and the number of charging and discharging cycles reaches 1 million. Because the supercapacitor can protect the battery from high surges, the battery life will be extended by 50%. , The cruising range is extended by 10%."

　　Skeleton is also improving the grid to power the growing number of electric vehicles. It believes that large power grids in certain regions will be replaced by smaller and more dispersed power grids, which are called "microgrids." Mattiberg added: "We are currently working on supercapacitors as part of the puzzle."

　　Solid State Battery

　　Now a new battery technology has emerged, and it still uses old-fashioned lithium batteries.

　　What we are talking about is solid-state battery technology. There is no electrolyte (used to transfer charged particles), so it is safer than current batteries and can operate like a super capacitor, which means that it charges and discharges much faster.

　　Solid-state batteries are especially suitable for cars. They can deliver more electricity to cars. Due to the fast charging speed, the waiting time for drivers at the charging station is greatly shortened.

　　Toyota scientists have developed a solid-state battery that can charge from 0 to 100% in just 7 minutes.

　　There is also a promising technology, that is, lithium-air batteries. If this battery is installed in a car, it can drive 1,100 miles on a single charge. There is also a "sand battery". Although it is also a lithium ion battery, its performance is 3 times better than that of a lithium battery, and it is cheaper, non-toxic and environmentally friendly.

　　When it comes to improved batteries, graphene batteries may be the most promising. Graphenano developed the Grabat battery, which has a charging speed 33 times faster than a lithium-ion battery and a higher output power, which is particularly suitable for automotive use.

　　Mobile phone without battery

　　How to make a device without a battery? One way is to reduce the power consumed by the device to a sufficiently low level. Someone once made a mobile phone that does not require a battery. It consumes very little power. The components used in the mobile phone are quite ordinary and anyone can buy it.

　　This mobile phone was designed by engineers from the University of Washington. It can draw power from the environment. The mobile phone has an antenna that collects energy from radio signals and light, and then stores it in miniature solar cells.

　　In the end, the mobile phone can run with only 3.5 microwatts of power. However, the function of the mobile phone is limited and it can only make calls. If a spare mobile phone can be made, the size is about the same as a micro credit card, and it can be easily put in the wallet, which may be very attractive to some people.

　　Environmental power supply

　　We also see some other breakthrough technologies that draw electricity from the environment. There is a technology that uses sound and nano generators, you can generate electricity and charge the phone when you talk to the phone.

　　MIT scientists once demonstrated a technology to extract electricity from air and water, but at present scientists can only "create" 1 microwatt of electricity. If the above methods are combined and improved, it may be able to bring breakthroughs and open up The door to the future.

　　Air Power

　　It has always been a human dream to transmit electricity from the air. It can be traced back to Nikolas Tesla (Nikolas Tesla), but it is only recently that air charging has become a reality. There is a company that claims to have mastered this technology, it is uBeam, its technology is more advanced than Qi wireless charging, Qi technology can only be charged at close range, and many smartphones already support it.

　　The 　　uBeam system was developed by Meredith Perry, a 25-year-old astrophysics graduate student, who has received $28 million in financing. uBeam uses microwaves to transmit energy and can charge the device across the room several meters apart. Berry once showed how to use new technology to charge mobile phones. He said that TVs, computers, and cars can all be used.

　　However, uBeam consumes a lot of electricity, has a high manufacturing cost, and has a relatively slow charging speed. However, uBeam does not use cables. It may point the way for the future. In the future, we no longer need batteries.

　　If the uBeam system can run efficiently, be deployed on a large scale, and become a mobile phone network-like system, we can allow the device to draw power from the system. In this way, mobile phones and electric cars do not have to be charged.

　　Is a future like this really close at hand? I'm afraid not.

　　Manpower charging

　　Now things are getting interesting, in fact, we can draw electricity from humans. Simply put, it is to charge the device through human movement.

　　Scientists have already demonstrated the technology. They power 12 LED bulbs. The way humans use devices has not changed, and the direction of this technology should be correct. How did you do it? Scientists put the 50-nanometer thin gold film under the silicone rubber nano-pillars, so that the area in contact with the skin will be maximized. The greater the contact surface, the greater the friction, and users only need to wear the device to charge. This technology is particularly suitable for wearable devices.

　　The Bill Gates Foundation has also developed a new technology that can collect electricity from urine and charge a mobile phone without any problem. The new battery is called "Microbial Fuel Cell."