As we continue to depend more and more on our mobile devices, we’re constantly trying to come up with ways to make our batteries last as long as possible. We make sure to dim our screens; we quit out of all of those apps that are slowly sucking up energy as they run in the background; we even power down whenever possible.
Of course, the proliferation of mobile charging accessories has helped alleviate this, but, according to a report from GigaOm, a newly developed lithium ion battery may help to boost longevity by 25 percent. The company behind the battery, Amprius, is backed up by some big wig investors, like Eric Schmidt, chairman of Google.
Amprius, which is still a startup, having only opened its doors some five years ago, announced today that its new battery uses a nano-structured silicon material in the anode portion of the battery. Using this material allows for the anode size to be reduced fourfold, while increasing the delivering of energy by fourfold.
The company says that the battery it has developed can be charged (fully charged from 0 to 100 percent) at least 500 times, while still being able to hold onto 80 percent of its original storage capacity. This is less than some lithium ion batteries, which can reach 1,000 complete charges before reaching the 80 percent threshold.
The company has already raised some $25 million from various investors, so hopefully we’ll see these batteries making their way into phones in the near future.
