Bluetti shows us a unique new portable power solution in its 2024 International CES booth, and it has to do with space-saving, hot-swappable batteries. The AC180T packs two slots, each holding a 716 Wh solid-state battery. The battery has a grab-handle on top, and can be swapped out during operation. The grab handle has a basic LED-based charge state read-out. This solution saves you from having to lug a second enclosed battery expansion pack. Rather just carry several of these battery modules, and swap them out as needed. The AC180T delivers 1.8 kVA over four AC connectors, a number of USB-C and USB-A power delivery ports; and a 120 W DC car port. The unit supports fast-charging over an AC power source, but also takes in DC solar. The AC240 lacks battery hot-swapping, but features a single enclosed 1536 Wh battery, and can deliver 2.4 kVA. The AC240 has its claim to fame being IP65 water resistance, and concealed connectors.

The European Parliament has greenlit new rules relating to battery technologies that are likely to cause headaches for smartphone manufacturers (in particular). The organization published their summary of this environmentally conscious and sustainable strategy on June 14: "Parliament approved new rules for the design (on Wednesday), production and waste management of all types of batteries (including non-replaceable types) sold in the EU. With 587 votes in favor, nine against and 20 abstentions, MEPs endorsed a deal reached with the Council to overhaul EU rules on batteries and waste batteries. The new law takes into account technological developments and future challenges in the sector and will cover the entire battery life cycle, from design to end-of-life."

The section for portable device batteries (for smartphones, tablets and cameras) outlines new consumer rights, with a demand for easily removable and replaceable (DIY) cells. Smartphone manufacturers including market leaders Apple and Samsung will have to go back to the drawing board and figure out ways to reformat how their batteries are mounted and connected internally. Plenty of devices have their units sealed behind protective layers, requiring specialist tools and varying levels of user expertise to access and remove in a safe manner. The European Council has more work to do following their starter announcement: "(We) will now have to formally endorse the text before its publication in the EU Official Journal shortly after and its entry into force." News outlets have interpreted that these provisional rulings will go into effect by early 2027, but they also anticipate that big time players could appeal for extensions beyond that window.

A game-changing new material promises to keep your "battery health" meter stuck at a 100% for up to 5 years. Lihium-ion rechargeable batteries that power most of today's digital civilization, come with two limitations—one that they can only be recharged a finite number of times; and two, that their capacity reduces over time. On some smartphones, such as the iPhone, this is reported to end-users as "battery health."

Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (JAIST) discovered a new material called [wait for it] bis-imino-acenaphthenequinone-paraphenylene (BP) co-polymer. This serves as a binder material on the anode (positive electrode). A binder is a substance used to coat an electrode to prevent the material of the electrode from falling apart or getting destroyed by the electrolyte. Li-ion cells use graphite anodes that are delicate, and were being coated by poly-vinylidene fluoride (PVDF), but this material had a durability of 500 recharge cycles at full (rated) capacity, and yielding only 65% of capacity the battery is "capable" of (with bare electrodes). Beyond 500 cycles, the PVDF binder wears, taking the electrode with it, which the capacity. JAIST's research has found its material to be capable of sustaining 1,700 recharge cycles while maintaining the battery's recharge capacity at 95 percent. For a smartphone that gets recharged once a day, that's nearly 5 years of full "battery health." The JAIST paper can be accessed here.

FSP, the performance power specialist, announces a new line of Energy Storage System (ESS) products. The EMERGY 3000 Series comes in 2.6kWh (Li-ion) or 1.7kWh (Lithium Iron Phosphate) models and the EMERGY 1000 Series provides 900Wh (Li-Ion) of portable power. As a home battery, the fast-charging EMERGY series excels at solar power storage and emergency power delivery. With their portable suitcase design they also function well as a clean and noiseless power pack for camping, outdoor concerts and events, emergency response and more.

Home batteries not only provide backup power when power is lost, but let users save money on their energy bill. With fast charge times, the EMERGY series lets users store power at cheap off-peak rates to use during peak hours and save money on their energy bills. With built-in UPS circuitry, the EMERGY series also excels as a backup power source and clean alternative to a backup generator switching on automatically when the electricity goes out to keep refrigerators and appliances running smoothly until power is restored.

In light of the environmental issues that plague us today, people are realizing the importance of adopting a green mindset and are making proactive steps towards incorporating a greener approach to their daily lives.

The Green ASUS initiative promotes green and environmentally-friendly practices throughout ASUS. Its latest products are designed to care for the environment, incorporating power-saving technologies like the ASUS Super Hybrid Engine. Steps have also been taken towards the use of environmentally-friendly materials like bamboo and recycled plastics in its products and packaging materials.

RCA has named the batteries AirPower and envisions they will serve as a backup power source to normal battery charging methods. While it is obvious that enough power couldn't be gleaned from a wireless network to keep an active device running, an AirPower not in use could charge in as little as 6 hours. Naturally this is abysmally slow compared to current wired charging technologies. However, if the batteries are priced right they might give you one less thing to worry about since you wouldn't have to worry about plugging in and unplugging unattended batteries.

Important, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and Health Canada, in cooperation with HP, are starting recall of the Lithium-Ion batteries used in some Hewlett-Packard and Compaq notebook computers, due to fire hazard. Around 70 000 batteries are reported as dangerous, due to overheating and rupture problems, that may cause fire. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed. Models that can contain a recalled battery include:

• HP Pavilion: dv2000, dv2500, dv2700, dv6000, dv6500, dv6700, dv9000, dv9500, dv9700
• Compaq Presario: A900, C700, F700, V3000, V3500, V3700, V6000, V6500, V6700
• HP: G6000, G7000
• HP Compaq: 6720s

Hewlett-Packard (HP) on Monday began offering as an accessory to its consumer laptops batteries that can hold their capacity for up to three years. The new batteries are the work of Boston-Power, and use updated lithium-ion technology that is said to be better than other similar solutions. Boston-Power's Sonata battery will be available as optional choice for 18 existing notebook models representing approximately 70 percent of HP's consumer notebook PC portfolio. Boston-Power claims its batteries won't give up their capacity for three years, that's roughly three times longer than most other notebook batteries offered to date. In addition, the Sonata accumulators can recharge faster, reaching 80% of capacity in 30 minutes. Lastly, HP will give a three year warranty for each Sonata battery. Available now at HP, the $149.99 accessory Sonata battery fits models in the HP Pavilion, HP HDX, Compaq Presario and HP G series. A complete list of compatible individual models is available here. More information on the battery itself can also be found on Boston-Power's site here.

Former Intel CEO and Co-Founder Andy Grove has an interesting proposition for his former company. He believes that the emerging market for plug-in electric vehicles and hybrids presents a major business opportunity for Intel to become a leading manufacturer of advanced batteries. While Mr. Grove retired in 2005 he still serves as an advisor to Intel's leadership, including CEO Paul Otellini. This would mark a major divergence from Intel's current business model, as it would be unlikely much of their current research could be applied to such a drastically different product. In the early 2000s, Intel tinkered with producing consumer electronics, but the idea was shelved after a short time. More recently, Intel has abandoned business units that did not closely relate to its chip business. There is no doubt that the potential exists for advanced batteries to be a highly lucrative product as the public becomes ever more aware of environmental concerns and automotive manufacturers begin to design more electric and hybrid vehicles. One of the main obstacles for GM's Chevy Volt program is the lack of advanced battery technology to power it for a reasonable amount of time. Even though it would require creation of new departments from the ground-up Intel's financial resources make it a possible, although currently improbable, business venture. Currently there is no word from Paul Otellini on whether Intel is actively considering Grove's advice.

It appears that the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with Dell, HP and Toshiba, have issued another laptop battery recall for Sony branded batteries. It's very unfortunate that the Sony battery fiasco is still a problem. According to the new data, Lithium-Ion batteries used in about 35,000 Hewlett-Packard, Toshiba and Dell Notebook Computers can overheat, posing a fire and burn hazard to consumers. The information is based on 19 reports of laptop batteries still overheating, including 17 reports of flames/fire (10 resulting in minor property damage). Consumers should immediately remove the recalled battery from their notebook computer, and contact their computer manufacturer to determine if their battery is included in the recall and to request a free replacement battery. The bad battery packs are used in laptops from all kinds, including models retailing from $700 to models that cost around $3000. There's a list of the models in danger below, that might help.

Apple and Sony have decided to settle at least one lawsuit stemming from the whole lithium-ion battery debacle of '06. The two companies are jointly paying a Japanese couple a total of about 1.3 million yen (that's $12,903) for damages to their home and burns the man sustained while trying to remove his flaming Apple computer from the house. The couple argued this fire was caused by a defective Sony lithium-ion battery.

To date, Sony has recalled 9.6 million of these occasionally unstable batteries with the help of some major laptop manufacturers, including Apple, Toshiba, Lenovo and Acer.

Apple, while accepting liability in the case, insisted it would not settle the dispute out of court because the couple had demanded excessive compensation (they were asking for 2 million yen). Despite agreeing to pay its share of the settlement, Sony still maintains there was no link between the fire and the battery.

Stanford University researchers have made a discovery that could signal the arrival of laptop batteries that last more than a day on a single charge.

The researchers have found a way to use silicon nanowires to give rechargeable lithium ion batteries as much as 10 times more charge.

The new batteries were developed by assistant professor Yi Cui and colleagues at Stanford University's Department of Materials Science and Engineering.

"It's not a small improvement," Cui said. "It's a revolutionary development."

Cui has filed a patent on this technology, which will hopefully be available to end users within "several years".

There's been a barrage of Apple stories today, but here's one that people won't be quite so pleased to hear: the battery in Apple's new MacBook Air will not be user replaceable, much like the iPod and iPhone. Apple has clarified the issue, saying that the price of a replacement will be $129, just like the MacBook Pro battery, and installation will be free. This shouldn't be too much of a problem for most users given that the battery will probably be fairly durable and the notebook does boast five hours of battery life, but would cause a slight inconvenience of having to send the machine off to Apple if it does need replacing, and would prevent people from using a backup battery.

While alkaline batteries are hazardous to the environment, and some say that the design of lithium batteries is inherently flawed, scientists are trying to figure out a new way to store energy. A Japanese company is hoping it may have hit the jackpot with one such idea. By pouring any liquid (be it water, gasoline, Powerade, or urine) into the battery, a customer starts a reaction of the chemicals inside the battery (magnesium and carbon) and the liquid, producing energy. "NoPoPo" comes in your standard AA and AAA designs, can hold a charge for up to 10 years (though, it can be recharged far less times than a comparable lithium-ion battery), and is only available in Japan. There is no reference as to when and if we will see this in America or Europe.

Another laptop battery recall has begun from today, when Acer Inc. announced that about 27,000 laptop batteries are defective. Again we are talking about Sony-made lithium-ion batteries that could overheat and cause a fire. The affected Acer models were sold in the U.S. and Canada from May 2004 through November 2006 for between $500 and $1,500. The laptops possibly containing the recalled batteries were the TravelMate series with 4-digit model numbers beginning with 242, 320, 321, 330, 422, 467, 561, C20, and the Aspire series beginning with model numbers 556, 560, 567, 930, 941, 980. Acer, whose U.S. division is based in San Jose, says consumers should immediately stop using the recalled batteries and contact the company for a free battery replacement. The laptops could still be safely used if powered by the AC adapter, the company said. Please click here, if you want to find out how you can replace your defective laptop battery.

Matsushita Electric Industrial today announced that one of its subsidiaries, Matsushita Battery Industrial(MBI) is now ready to mass produce a new type of lithium-ion battery, which incorporates new technology improving safety. According to MBI, its new technology improves safety by forming a heat resistance layer (HRL) consisting of an insulating metal oxide on the surface of the electrodes. Even if a short-circuit occurs in these batteries, it will cease without causing the battery to overheat, instead of overheating and even burning in standart lithium-ion batteries. Matsushita currently holds 119 patents.