Toshiba SCiB Battery Breakthrough

Rich writes about a battery breakthrough from Toshiba called SCiB. Toshiba Corp.'s Super Charge ion Battery, or SCiB, can recharge to 90 percent of its full capacity in less than five minutes and has a life cycle of more than 10 years, Toshiba spokeswoman Hiroko Mochida said. Toshiba, said the new rechargeable lithium-ion battery will eventually be used in hybrid and electric cars.

Rich is practically giddy with this news since he is almost as much a gadget freak as I am. He's constantly carrying miscellaneous chargers, extra batteries, etc. Rich writes, "Generally when we get such good news there is a downside. As many of us recall – whoops, poor choice of words, Sony’s batteries used in many laptops caused explosions."

Toshiba says their SCiB technology is is safe, with low possibility of rupture or catching fire, problems that have certainly have beset some lithium-ion batteries used in laptops. Interestingly, Toshiba's new battery can also work in temperatures as low as minus 30 degrees Centigrade (minus 22 degrees Fahrenheit). Anyone that has a car battery go in the middle of winter knows that cold weather tends to hamper battery performance.

"This is a truly innovative battery," said Toshiba Corporate Vice President Toshiharu Watanabe. The Tokyo-based electronics maker said global sales of the new fast-charging battery are expected to reach 100 billion yen (US$893.7 million; 607.2 million) by fiscal 2015.

If this battery lives up to the hyped potential, Toshiba will fast become everyone's favorite battery of choice. Sorry Energizer Bunny!

Update:
According to Tech-On, here's how it works:
The key feature of the Li-ion secondary battery is that lithium titanate (Li₄Ti₅O₁₂) is used as a negative-electrode material with electrolyte with a high flash point and a separator with a high heat resistance. Because of this feature, a thermal runaway is less likely to occur in case of an internal short-circuit, so the risks of burst and combustion are reduced, Toshiba said.