Batteries are notoriously difficult pieces of technology to deal with reliably. They often need specific temperatures, charge rates, can’t tolerate physical shocks or damage, and can fail catastrophically if all of their finicky needs aren’t met. And, adding insult to injury, for many chemistries, the voltage does not correlate to state of charge in meaningful […]
Can you charge those Li-ion based cells with USB-C charging ports without taking them out of the device? While this would seem to be answered with an unequivocal ‘yes’, recently [Colin] found out that this could easily have destroyed the device they were to be installed in. After being tasked with finding a better way […]
Flow batteries are rather unique. They generate electricity by the combination of two fluids flowing on either side of a membrane. Typically, this involves the use of some kind of pump to get everything moving. However, [Dusan Caf] has demonstrated another way to make a flow battery operate. [Dusan]’s build is a zinc-iodide flow battery. […]
Building a battery pack from 18650 cells traditionally requires patience, a spot welder, and a supply of nickel strip. But what if there was another way? [Ben] is here with Cell-Lock, a modular battery assembly system. At the system’s heart are a set of interlocking end caps and connection pieces that function as locking cams […]
There are many applications where you have limits on how much you can cram into a particular space. There are also many applications where you need as much battery as you can get. At the intersection of those applications, you may soon be able to 3D print custom batteries to fit into oddly shaped spaces […]
Earlier this year Donut Lab caused quite the furore when they unveiled what they claimed was the world’s first production-ready solid state battery, featuring some pretty stellar specifications. Since then many experts and enthusiasts in the battery space have raised concerns that this claimed battery may not be real, or even possible at all. After […]
Kei trucks are very versatile vehicles, but their stock powerplant can leave a bit to be desired. If you need more power, why not try an electric conversion? [Ron “Mr. G” Grosinger] is a high school auto shop and welding teacher who worked with his students to replace the 40 hp gas motor in this […]
[Alex Hao] and [Andreas Bastian] of Lumafield recently visited with [Adam Savage] to share their battery quality report, which documents their findings after performing X-ray computed tomography scans on over 1,000 18650 lithium-ion batteries. The short version — don’t buy cheap cells! The cheaper brands were found to have higher levels of manufacturing defects which […]