Home Phone and Internet $60/moHow lame is lithium ion? Don't get me started
The last time I flew out of San Francisco, my laptop battery conked out as we passed Salt Lake City. Considering how I was stuck in cattle class with no chance to recharge the unit, I closed the computer in disgust and proceeded to slip into a deep sleep.
(Credit: CNET News)If my laptop drops dead one more time because the battery's out of juice, I may go postal. I know. There are worse things in life. But how lame is lithium ion? I'm sure that my frustration's not unique. Many (most?) of you have surely engaged in the same frantic race against the clock, typing furiously as the computer's battery icon wastes down to empty. And Murphy's Law being what it is, there doubtless was not an electrical unit in the same time zone.
Of course, some laptops are better at power management than others. Still, three hours, maximum, is about the best you can hope for. That's no bargain. But such is life in the lithium-ion era.
Now a start-up called ZPower says it's come up with a battery technology breakthrough which it claims will result in 40 percent longer laptop life than lithium-ion on a single charge. The company says it has struck a deal with "one of the major" PC makers to use its silver-zinc batteries in a notebook line slated for 2009. The CEO, Ross Dueber, declined to get more specific than that.
I don't know if ZPower has the best answer, but speaking for the laptop shleppers of the world, I wish him well in his quest. Commercial lithium-ion batteries have been around since 1991, courtesy of Sony and an upgrade would be very welcome. Earlier in the week I spoke with Dueber, who was in town for Intel's big developer shindig. Check out what he had to say in this video interview we shot together.
Charles is an executive editor with CNET News. He has covered technology and business for more than 25 years. A graduate of Queens College and Columbia University, Cooper began his career in journalism at the Associated Press before moving to technology coverage. Before joining CNET News, he worked at Computer & Software News, Computer Shopper, PC Week, and ZDNet. He received the Excellence in Journalism award from the Northern California branch of the Society for Professional Journalists for column writing. In addition to his blogging and podcast appearances, he is a co-host of the CNET News Daily Debrief. E-mail Charlie.
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Lithium's weakness is that a bit of oxide forms every time you switch from charging to discharging. This is why lithium batteries slowly die over time - slightly different from memory.
I used to take my laptop on car trips and such, and I found a great solution to the battery problem: a lead acid battery and an inverter! Last time I flew, sealed lead acid batteries were fair game on planes (that was a while ago, though) because there was no way to break them open. My battery life is now longer than the computer's ability to keep my attention. Last test was 2 11hr bus rides in a row without a recharge, while powering 2 laptops and an ethernet switch for some LAN action!
Of course, the battery weighs about 10-15 pounds. I've got a smaller one too, but power to weight was never a concern for the lead acid folk.
Just because HE has a crappy computer doesn't mean ALL Li batteries suck... ;)
And no, it is not an apple store.
a123: "They store more energy than the regular Lithium-ion"
yeesh, no they don't. They have significantly smaller energy density than most Li+. You did mention a specific feature of a123 batts, in their large number of cycles. But the one you missed was fast charge capabilities and high current output (not needed for this app). They are cool batteries but energy density is NOT the strong point of them.
baisa has it right. Why you don't know how long your batts last right now is ridiculous. Why you don't turn down the power for long flights is beyond me. The best hope for battery life right now aren't new batteries (you may as well pray), its dramatic drops in power consumption.
That is like complaining about gas mileage in your Ferrari.
New linux pc's run aroung 8 hrs between charges. (EEPC)
The glaring problem with Silver Zinc is poor cycle life, which in combination with high cost, make for an unappealing "solution". Much better is the approach taken by Boston Power who have methodically optimized the traditional li-ion chemistry. C-Net even did a great piece on them.
http://news.cnet.com/Notebook-battery-maker-gets-charged-up-for-cars/2100-1041_3-6224334.html
The reason for discharging to 40% remaining is Li-ion will last the longest at this level, keeping it at 100% will shorten it's life, and at 0% will greatly shorten it's life. Li-ion not only looses capacity by charge-discharge cycles but just sitting at any level will start to eat itself, the slowest rate is about 40% and keeping it cold.
Now if you want to talk about how long a charged battery lasts, that is something different then getting pissed because you didn't charge it. On my laptop a fully charge will last me about an hour to an hour and half. Now that is lame, a $200 battery that is only go for that length of time.
Second, everyone knows the limits of lithium batts. It's the electronics that I fault for not being such power hogs, as well as the manufacturers who have always tended to give you just 2-3 hours of battery no matter what. Either make the battery larger or design more efficient hardware.
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by ferretboy88
August 26, 2008 12:05 PM PDT
- My Vista X61 Lenovo thinkpad gets 6 hours on a charge. That is with the large battery.
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