But it's not just consumer devices; the growth in interest in hybrid and all electric vehicles is also requiring more effort into new battery chemistries that allow more charge to be stored in smaller volumes. Today, lithium ion is dominant, but for how much longer?
One other aspect which is exercising the minds of battery chemists and technologists is that lithium ion batteries use a liquid electrolyte, which leaves them open to problems such as leaking. So a number of researchers are looking at the challenging area of solid state batteries .
Now, the research has attracted interest from Dyson, which has invested $15million in US company Sakti3. Dyson, of course, is developing cordless devices and so has an interest is smaller, more powerful batteries.
Battery technology barely developed during the 20th Century; it was only in the last couple of decades that serious efforts were made to boost performance. While solid state batteries might provide double the capacity of their liquid electrolyte relatives, battery technology will still remain a challenge.
