Battery Update: They're Old and in the Way

All of a sudden, batteries are cocktail party chatter, and for good reason. Most consumer electronics today rely on lithium-ion (li-on) batteries, and their track record isn't so great. They're exploding in laptops (though not as often as you might think), being recalled by the millions (approximately 6 million batteries have been recalled), and seem to barely last before you're buying new ones (as devices get smaller, li-on batteries die faster). It seems as if, while the rest of technology marched on, batteries were sleeping. Or maybe—interjecting a bit of bad battery humor—just hibernating?

This month, John Hockenberry takes an in-depth look at why our batteries are failing us and what the prospects are for Building a Better Battery, the story he wrote for Wired magazine.

Hockenberry looks at a few reasons for being battery-optimistic. One could say that they are "better batteries through chemistry."

Last year Sony unveiled the Nexelion for use in its Handycams. The battery uses tin instead of the graphite material that is currently used in lithium-ion batteries. Sony says this offers a 30% increase over other lithium-ions.

Zinc Matrix is working on a solution based on silver and zinc. Since it's lower powered than lithium-ion, you'll need more of these gizmos to power your devices based on today's power consumption. But the good news is that the industry is working on creating lower-powered devices as battery makers look to improve.

Others are working on lithium-polymer batteries that use a gel rather than a liquid inside of them. Solicore, the company working on this solution, promises batteries that will be more compact, but less likely to overheat than lithium-ion.

I've been doing some reading about rechargeable battery technology that may work as well. Moixa Group is working on a family of batteries that recharge using the USB port in your computer. So far an "AA" rechargeable battery is for sale in the UK. My guess is that we'll see these USBCells (pictured) here shortly.

The good news? Considering how many are out there, only a miniscule number of lithium-ion batteries will ever overheat to the point of exploding or starting a fire in your device. The better news is that the industry is waking up to the fact that battery technology has not kept pace with the rest of technology. Looks like some interesting companies are taking up the challenge.