A Breakthrough Battery Innovation Could Change the Tech World

Battery tech is something we take for granted nowadays. We usually only think about the little packets of advanced chemistry squeezed inside our gadgets when we’re far from a charger and that pesky little battery icon turns red. But the lithium-based batteries that power pretty much every gadget nowadays may be set to be replaced by a new solid ceramic type that promises more than a bit more juice per battery. A new innovation from TDK, which makes batteries for global tech brands like Tesla and Apple, means next-generation batteries could contain vastly more energy in the same sized unit. Why is this exciting? Portable technology has essentially plateaued because of the limits on battery life and the need to recharge the power source. This affects personal electronic devices like headphones, smartwatches and smartphones, business hardware like laptops, card readers and remote sensors, as well as other devices that form part of the Internet-of-Things and some medical gadgets. TDK’s press release says the new tech, which relies on “oxide-based solid electrolyte and lithium alloy anodes,” can contain 1000 watt-hours per liter of power–a measure of exactly how much energy the batteries can pack into a given size. This is much better than traditional liquid chemistry lithium ion batteries, which vary in how much power they contain, but average about 500 watt-hours per liter. That means TDK’s new cells could contain twice as much energy in the same size battery, or it means a battery could be much smaller and provide the same battery life. TDK says the new cells contain 100 times as much as its previous-generation solid-state batteries, which is a dramatic advance in the technology. The Financial Times reports that rival solid-chemistry battery innovations have achieved 20 watt-hours per liter, only one-fifth the power of TDK’s new invention. The fact that the energy in these batteries is held in something solid means the batteries are “extremely safe,” TDK also notes, making them absolutely ideal for use in wearable technology and “other devices that come in direct contact with the human body.” Several medical use cases appear obvious immediately, thanks to the rise of wearable sensors to help people with diabetes, and also in hearing aids and possibly, in the future, other systems like the early-stage brain implant tech being pioneered by Neuralink. If all these systems adopted these new oxide batteries, they would need far fewer charges, which open up possibilities for new uses and new devices. Think smartwatches with multiple-day lifespans from a single charge, or Internet-of-Things devices like location tags, which can now run for months at a time from a single non-rechargeable “coin” battery, running for as long as a year without needing more power. The Internet of Things is quietly revolutionizing many industries, including farming. Combined with other innovations like direct-to-cellphone satellite connectivity, this new battery tech could mean devices deployed to track expensive equipment in the construction industry, or measure environmental conditions on far-flung farmers’ fields could last much, much longer. That’s a potential boost for industries that operate in remote or rural areas. One thing the new batteries won’t be powering anytime soon, however, is larger mobile devices or big-scale electric technology like Teslas. That’s because, the FT says, the ceramic material inside the new batteries can be quite fragile–a small battery jiggling around in your headphones would be fine, but larger-scale ones being shaken about inside the chassis of an EV would most likely not work. There have been enough scare stories of EVs blazing uncontrollably on the roadside for this to be a real worry.