Researchers from the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) have developed a new lithium metal battery that can be charged and discharged at least 6,000 times — more than any other pouch battery cell — and can be recharged in a matter of minutes.
I would love to see more dramatic research into battery tech, but steps like this are also welcome, as these are necessary stepping stones before even better steps.
Yet the batteries on the market keep getting better
They are improving a few percent every other year, but never in big jumps like these headlines would suggest
That’s not true, “regular” Li-ion batteries have become tremendously cheaper and have increased their capacity by a lot in the past decade. The next jump in their capacity is about 50% more again, and it’s already being previewed by the big battery manufacturers. They’re not going to be cheap though.
combustion engines get better every year too. Engineers love optimizing what’s already there.
A breakthrough by it’s nature isn’t just a marginal improvement.
I don’t think they’re discounting the excitement, but keeping realistic expectations. Don’t hold off on buying an EV or hybrid if you’re in the market right now because headlines say they just discovered this. The path from lab to the dealership is long and sometimes fruitless