New Batteries Promise 2.5 Times Longer Uptime

DarrylM writes: "CBC News has this story about the opening of a factory for new rechargeable batteries. They are supposed to be capable of supplying a laptop with power for 12-16 hours. The batteries are manufactured by electrofuel Inc., and come in various sizes. They will also produce batteries for phones, and hope to eventually provide battery power for bikes and cars." Sounds promising -- more power, smaller package is always nice. I wonder what sort of power draw they're expecting from a laptop though; will low-power chips like the Crusoe extend those hours, or is a trend toward more efficient chips already taken optimistically into account?

Comments

Re:Great batteries already unused

[Technician]

Most laptops do not run on 1.25 volts. Adding batteries in series does not increase the AH rating. It only increases the voltage. 5 1.25 volt 1100mAH batteries connected in series makes one 6.25 volt 1100mAH battery pack. Don't compare penlight batteries with computer battery packs and expect the Ampere Hour rating to indicate the Watt Hours avaliable. Volts X Ampere Hours = Watt Hours. Use this math to compare how much power you need to replace your battery pack. You may discover you neet 5 to 10 times as many as you thought you needed to reach 6 - 12 volts of most battery packs. Soon the huge space in the battery pack starts to look very cramped.