Me: What do you think about Li-ion batteries being used in almost every electronic device these days?
Engineer: Well, a quality lithium-ion battery can last up to 20 years. Problem is most are made in China and not the quality they should be.
Me: There are still those that believe they develop a memory or start degrading from the first charge, is this true?
Engineer: No, NiCAD batteries had the memory issues. Li-ion batteries should be able to be charged over many hundreds of times without a problem no matter how much charge they hold when charged.
Me: What is the number one killer of lithium-ion batteries then? Many people have issues with them.
Engineer: It's mostly related to the design of the charging device used. Every charger SHOULD have a cut-off feature as soon as the battery is charged. Overcharging the batteries will shorten the life considerably. Often the chargers are not of a quality design and can drain the battery while charging it as well as seriously overcharging it.
Me: What can a manufacturer do to improve the batteries?
Engineer: They can make sure they are properly formulated. Another problem with this is that lithium is not readily available or produced in the US.
Me: What causes this type of battery to combust or blow up?
Engineer: If the battery, which is usually made up of smaller cells, is not strung together properly with good connectors, a spark can ignite the hydrogen that is given off.
Me: Do you ever see us using nuclear batteries then, if we are readily using batteries that give off something like hydrogen?
Engineer: Nuclear batteries are too inefficient. Usually the only way they can produce electricity is by using the heat to drive another device that produces the electricity.
NEW TECHNOLOGY I found is here: The Best Rechargeable Batteries and Chargers Of 2010 >> MetaEfficient Reviews
Quote from that site: "Today, the best rechargeable batteries are the new hybrid Nickel-Metal Hydride (Ni-MH) cells."
I would hope that our PV suppliers will help us stop killing our batteries with our busy lives and leaving the batteries in the chargers, by selling only chargers with cut-off features.
Engineer: Well, a quality lithium-ion battery can last up to 20 years. Problem is most are made in China and not the quality they should be.
Me: There are still those that believe they develop a memory or start degrading from the first charge, is this true?
Engineer: No, NiCAD batteries had the memory issues. Li-ion batteries should be able to be charged over many hundreds of times without a problem no matter how much charge they hold when charged.
Me: What is the number one killer of lithium-ion batteries then? Many people have issues with them.
Engineer: It's mostly related to the design of the charging device used. Every charger SHOULD have a cut-off feature as soon as the battery is charged. Overcharging the batteries will shorten the life considerably. Often the chargers are not of a quality design and can drain the battery while charging it as well as seriously overcharging it.
Me: What can a manufacturer do to improve the batteries?
Engineer: They can make sure they are properly formulated. Another problem with this is that lithium is not readily available or produced in the US.
Me: What causes this type of battery to combust or blow up?
Engineer: If the battery, which is usually made up of smaller cells, is not strung together properly with good connectors, a spark can ignite the hydrogen that is given off.
Me: Do you ever see us using nuclear batteries then, if we are readily using batteries that give off something like hydrogen?
Engineer: Nuclear batteries are too inefficient. Usually the only way they can produce electricity is by using the heat to drive another device that produces the electricity.
NEW TECHNOLOGY I found is here: The Best Rechargeable Batteries and Chargers Of 2010 >> MetaEfficient Reviews
Quote from that site: "Today, the best rechargeable batteries are the new hybrid Nickel-Metal Hydride (Ni-MH) cells."
I would hope that our PV suppliers will help us stop killing our batteries with our busy lives and leaving the batteries in the chargers, by selling only chargers with cut-off features.
