Super Batteries Coming

Batteries that can hold ten times as much electricity as today’s lithium ion batteries could be on the market within a few years.
The new batteries would use a technology called lithium metal air which would make them waterproof. The difference between these batteries and the batteries in your lap top is that those batteries have to be made partially of graphite which makes them heavier. Lithium metal air batteries are made entirely of lithium metal which makes them lighter weight and water proof. The batteries are called lithium metal air because they use the air as a cathode.
A Berkley California company called PolyPlus is developing disposable lithium metal batteries for use by the military, Technology Review reported. These batteries would be about one fifth the weight of current lithium ion batteries but only hold about as much electricity as today’s lithium ion batteries. Future lithium batteries could hold up to 5,000 watts of power about 10 times as much as today’s batteries. These batteries could sit on the shelf for months and retain their charges.
PolyPlus is also developing a rechargeable lithium metal battery for use in electric vehicles. Elon MuskElon Musk, CEO of Tesla Motors which builds electric cars mentioned lithium metal air technology in a recent interview with The Toronto Star. He didn’t say if his company’s vehicles will use lithium metal air.
Technology Review also reports that IBM is working with the US government to develop a lithium metal air battery that could be used in the power grid and electric vehicles. Such batteries could serve as a backup or an alternative to traditional electrical generation and form part of the smart electric grid promised by President Obama.