New Industry Products

Electrofuel Launches Li-Ion SuperPolymer Battery

June 14, 1999 by Jeff Shepard

Electrofuel Inc. (Toronto) announced that its new Lithium-Ion SuperPolymer battery has almost doubled the previous endurance record of rechargeable batteries. The new SuperPolymer battery has an energy density of 470Wh/litre and 183Wh/kg, and is claimed to be able to power laptop computers for 15 hours or more when fully charged. The first product based on the technology is Electrofuel's Powerpad line of computer batteries.Recently Nomura Research of Japan identified Electrofuel's lithium-ion polymer battery as having the highest energy density in the world, far surpassing other battery systems, according to Electrofuel. Typical lithium-ion polymer batteries reach densities of less than 300Wh/litre and, in some cases, are below 200Wh/litre. "The Lithium Ion SuperPolymer battery will provide people with a breakthrough in flexibility and convenience because of its light weight and power," says Dr. Sankar Das Gupta, president and CEO of Electrofuel. "Beyond that, it will facilitate advances in other areas such as transportation, energy and environment."Electrofuel is targeting its battery for application in computers, cellular phones, telecommunications, portable GPS, defense and portable medical devices, as well as future application in electric cars, electric bicycles, load leveling for electric utilities, and alternative energy businesses such as solar and wind energy storage. The battery's "superpolymer" design enables it to be molded into virtually any form to fit the shape of any device, according to Electrofuel. The battery pack can be as thin as a credit card or the size of a briefcase to power electric vehicles.The 160Wh Powerpad 160, available now, offers a run time of about 15 hours. Powerpad 50, 100 and 200 models will be available soon. Pricing for the Powerpad family is $199 to $799.