As we turn toward rechargeable batteries to power more and more of our gadgets, including electric vehicles, our first question is always "How much use will I get from a charge?" But manufacturers wrestle with additional parameters, including time required to recharge, number of charge cycles before the battery wears out, and safety of the battery. Toshiba is showing off a prototype Super Charge Ion Battery (SCiB) that excels in those areas. Its SCiB, as demonstrated at CEATEC 2008 in a Dynabook laptop, recharges to 90% of capacity in only 10 minutes, can take over 5000 recharge cycles (compared to about 500 for lithium-ion), and unlike lithium-ion batteries doesn't risk explosion if crushed. No news yet on Toshiba's big market plans, but SCiBs have already found a place in industrial uses, and should appear in various makers' electric bicycles from next year.
More info (English): http://tiny.cc/nxj0z

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