Toshiba recharges batteries in one minute

Tokyo - Toshiba announced a new generation of lithium-ion battery cells that promise to speed up the recharging process : According to the company, 80 percent of the battery’s energy capacity can be recharged in less than a minute.

Toshiba did not provide many details about the new battery technology and limited the information to the use "nano-particles at the negative electrode to prevent organic liquid electrolytes from reducing during battery recharging". The company said the nano-particles quickly absorb and store vast amount of lithium ions, without causing any deterioration in the electrode.

The technology is expected to make its market debut in 2006 and first appear in automotive applications such as in alternative battery units for hybrid vehicles. Toshiba said major advantage of the new battery include higher energy density as well as a long life cycle. The company claims that such a device would only lose 1 percent of its capacity for every 1000 discharging and recharging cycles.

A rapid charging process allows the battery to gain 80 percent of its capacity in about a minute or 60 times faster than a common lithium ion battery. A complete recharge of the battery will take "a few minutes", Toshiba said. The device is able to reach up to 80 percent of its capacity at -40 degrees Celsius (-40 degrees Fahrenheit) and 100 percent at 25 degrees Celsius (77 degrees Fahrenheit).