Toshiba Corp has developed a new lithium-ion battery that has a short recharge time of one minute while maintaining the energy capacity of conventional lithium-ion batteries according to the EE Times online. "We put the priority on applications such as automobiles that require quick recharging time and large cycle time," said a Toshiba spokesman. Toshiba achieved the breakthrough by using nanoparticles of several hundred nanometers coated uniformly on the negative electrode and newly developed electrolytic solution.
Maybe we have something really significant here --just after I said that a breakthrough in batteries would be required before electric cars could be considered. Just think, you you could pull up to an electric charging station and you would be on your way in a few minutes. No information on cost was revealed. Toshiba plans to begin mass production in 2006. I assume they meant on smaller batteries for cell phones and laptops, but they did not elaborate on this.
Meanwhile there is more speculation on the price of oil.
Goldman Sachs was quoted today as saying that oil markets may have entered what it calls a "super spike" period, giving crude the potential to reach a high of $105 (US) a barrel. This was based on the unexpected strength in oil demand and economic growth, especially in the United States and China. In a research note analysts said “We believe oil markets may have entered the early stages of what we have referred to as a ‘super spike' period — a multi-year trading band of oil prices high enough to meaningfully reduce energy consumption and recreate a spare capacity cushion only after which will lower energy prices return.”
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