Fast-charging batteries will power your gadgets for 20 years

18 Oct 2014 • engadget.com

They’ve developed new lithium ion batteries that can reach a 70 percent charge in two minutes, but should also last for over 20 years – several times longer than the cells in your current laptop or smartphone. The trick is using titanium dioxide nanotubes for the anode (the negative pole) instead of graphite; they both speed up the battery’s chemical reactions while offering 10,000 charging cycles instead of the usual 500.

There’s no definite timetable for when upgraded batteries could reach shipping products, but the mini titanium tubes are both easy to make and relatively inexpensive.

Great news. Can’t wait. Oh no, my iPhone is dead and I need to leave… plug it in while I run to the restroom or grab a tall glass of milk - then unplug it and it’s 70%? Sounds like science fiction.

It’s really about time for some big breakthroughs in battery technology though.