In what might be the biggest battery recycling news of the decade, scientists in China found a way to achieve nearly 100% voltage recovery in worn-out lithium-ion batteries by precisely heating them to high temperatures while applying voltage. This has the potential for “rejuvenating aging batteries, making old electric vehicles like new,” according to the institute where the research was conducted.
This is exactly the sort of news one hopes for on Earth Day.
TDK Corp. recently developed a material for its next-generation solid-state battery with an energy density about 100 times greater than the current version.
The Japanese company already supplies batteries that go into iPhones and other Apple devices, so there’s hope this breakthrough eventually will benefit Apple Watch and AirPods.
If Earth Day got you thinking about ways to reduce your carbon footprint, check out these rechargeable batteries. They can prevent up to 2,000 disposable batteries from entering landfills — and save you hundreds of dollars in the process.
Plus, these batteries come with a twist. Unlike other rechargeables, you don’t need a clunky charging station. They recharge with an included four-way micro-USB cable you plug directly into them!
Get a four-pack of rechargeable AA batteries for $15.99 (regularly $49.95). (AAA batteries are also available.)
The SwapSolar, Bluetti’s very first “ecosystem,” pairs a power station with a portable fridge. The combo is designed to power up all your outdoor activities and keep your food and drinks chilled. But the Bluetti SwapSolar is currently heating up Indiegogo.
The crowd-funding campaign for SwapSolar — which combines the new MultiCooler (the world’s first portable refrigerator powered by lithium iron phosphate batteries) and the AC180T hot-swappable battery power station — launched Tuesday on Indiegogo and quickly eclipsed Bluetti’s $50,000 goal. There’s still plenty of time for you to get in on the deal, though, with multiple perks and discounts available for early backers.
Apple is developing greatly improved batteries for its future devices, according to a new report. It appears the iPhone-maker wants to create a custom process in-house and own it — rather than outsourcing — just like it did with Apple silicon chips.
Climate change makes protecting our environment and embracing sustainable living practices more important than ever before. Impacts include warmer temperatures through increased greenhouse gases, rising sea levels, warmer oceans, more volatile weather and increasing ocean acidity.
Hurricane Idalia struck Florida hard on August 30, downing trees, ripping roofs off buildings and flooding roads enough to submerge cars. In some parts of the state, residents face rebuilding their homes and lives.
Apple will put batteries that could last up to 10% longer in the upcoming iPhone 15 series, according to an unconfirmed report. These will be stacked batteries rather than wound ones.
iOS handsets already offer lengthy times between recharges, but surely no one will complain about extending that.
The European Parliament passed sweeping legislation last week intended to make recycling batteries easier. The new rules will require Apple to redesign iPhone and iPad so their batteries can be replaced by users. (Android devices will face the same mandate.)
This will be the second major hardware change to Apple products to result from EU legislation. iPhones soon will come with a USB-C port in place of Lightning because of a European requirement.
Bluetti’s new, highly portable AC180 power station comes with several features that make it perfect for camping as well as home battery backup.
With enhancements including a 1,440-watt fast-charging rate, 1,800W of continuous AC power and a Power Lifting Mode that delivers up to 2,700W, the AC180 stands ready to deliver the power you need in a range of scenarios, from camping trips in the deepest wilderness to power outages at home. Bluetti kicks off the early bird sale on its new AC180 power generator Wednesday, with special pricing for a limited time.
Bluetti’s latest portable power station, the AC60, is the company’s most compact and durable yet. The lightweight power station, which launches today alongside the B80 expansion battery, comes with an IP65 rating, so it’s ready for your next outdoor adventure.
Plus, if you pair it with Bluetti’s new B80 — and maybe a solar panel or two — you don’t need to run out of juice.
With our planet and its people facing increasingly dire problems due to climate change — exhaustion of resources, extreme weather, energy crises — the time is now to find ways to live sustainable lifestyles. Investing more in energy storage and reuse helps in the here and now, and also benefits generations to come.
Solar-generator powerhouse Bluetti is throwing a New Year’s bash as the first month of 2023 unfolds. But instead of champagne and confetti, the ongoing promotional party — called “The Sun Shines Wherever You Go” — offers you great deals on new solar panels and other products.
Power product provider Bluetti hit a big milestone recently when it raised a staggering $11.6 million on Indiegogo for its new AC500 and B300S Home Backup Power Station, a backup beast that can power a home for days.
The campaign raised the funds — $11,633,332 and counting, to be exact — between September 1, 2022, and October 30. That ensures production and sale of the advanced AC500 inverter and B300S expansion battery, set to go on sale November 25 on Bluetti’s website and Amazon (and available on Indiegogo in the meantime, see below).
EcoFlow rolled out three new River 2 series power stations Tuesday. The under-1kWh devices charge to 80% as fast as 48 minutes and offer a long life, making them cost-effective for on-the-go uses like camping as well as home power backup, the company said.
This post is brought to you by Bluetti.
Do you dream of achieving power independence? Whether that means living off the grid or just keeping your home lit when the power goes out, Bluetti’s got a new, top-of-the-line solar power station for you.
Just last year the company put out its modular AC300 solar station and B300 battery module combo. Now it’s back with a worthy successor — the even more powerful AC500 and B300S combo.
This solar power station post is brought to you by Bluetti.
Here’s some good news for campers and RV enthusiasts, as well as anyone who likes to have ready backup power. Bluetti jolted CES 2022 with news in January it would soon launch its ultraportable power station EB3A Solar Generator with 268Wh capacity and 600W inverter. Well, now that time has come.
The company said the lightweight EB3A power station and an available solar input that lets you stay powered up almost anywhere will go on sale June 14.
And even better, an early bird price could get you 23% off!
See if you can guess what the new Batteries Widget for Mac app does. That’s right. It adds an iOS-style battery widget to the Mac’s Today panel, in the Notification Center. Anytime your iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch is on the same Wi-Fi network as your Mac, its battery level will show up in the widget.
You will get low-battery notifications when your devices start to run out of juice. Plus, the app shows battery levels for trackpads, AirPods and so on.
The ZMI PowerPack 20000 is the most useful backup battery you can buy. It packs a huge, 20,000mAh battery that can power a MacBook and two other devices at the same time. Plus, you can quick charge it via USB. And it can even work as a USB data hub.
This 14.29-ounce (405 gram) brick might be overkill for daily juicing of your iPhone, but for everything else it’s amazing.
Apple put out a recall notice earlier this summer for a 2015 MacBook Pro model because its battery can overheat. The FAA is reminding passengers that they can’t fly with one of these if it has not yet been repaired.
The US Department of Transportation and Federal Aviation Administration is making it a little bit harder for fliers to haul lithium-ion batteries to new destinations.
Under new rules revealed today, passengers are banned from storing lithium-ion cells or batteries on cargo during commercial flights. There’s also a new ban that prevents companies from shipping batteries with more than 30 percent charge on cargo-only flights.
mophie just unveiled a pair of external batteries designed to supply up to 18W of power. They can give recent iPhone models up to a 50 percent charge in half an hour.
This is possible because the new powerstation PD and PD XL each have a USB-C port, enabling them to transfer more power than older USB-A ports.
A new type of battery promises 20 percent to 40 percent more storage capacity. Even better, one of the companies behind the research has ties to Apple, so the improved lithium-silicon batteries are likely to show up in iPhone and iPad.
Ever since Apple introduced a measure to stop iPhones from unexpectedly shutting down in iOS 11, politicians and other morons have jumped on the story to gin up publicity for themselves. Now, thanks to their efforts, Apple has added a control that lets you switch off iOS 11’s Performance Management.
If you do switch it off, then your iPhone will stop slowing performance when the battery is too weak to supply enough power, and instead you can again face unexpected shutdowns. Here’s how.
Did you know that leaving your MacBook plugged in all the time is a sure way to ruin its battery? That instead you should use your notebook computer on battery power for an hour or two each day? That’s the advice from battery health app FruitJuice, which will help you to keep your battery in tip-top condition.