MIT Battery Breakthrough Could Revolutionize Electric Cars

Andrew Williams — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 10:59:04 +0000

Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have developed battery cells capable of charging in under a minute, an astonishing 100 times faster than a regular rechargable battery.

The breakthrough could revolutionize electric car battery technology and pave the way for ultra-fast charging electric vehicles in as little as two years.

The discovery came when MIT researchers Byoungwoo Kang and Gerbrand Ceder found out how to get a common lithium compound to release and take up lithium ions in a matter of seconds. According to Ceder, the compound, known as lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4), has a crystal structure that creates “perfectly sized tunnels for lithium to move through,” allowing the team to reach “ridiculously fast charging rates.”

Scientists Develop Oil Spill and Pollution Spotting Bacteria

Andrew Williams — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 15:10:10 +0000

A team of researchers have developed a color-coded bacteria that will make it much easier to detect oil-spills and other forms of environmental pollution.

During a recent sea expedition the team successfully used the bacteria, which contains a protein that glows blue when viewed though a simple light-detecting device, to detect oil.

Green Options » researchers

MIT Battery Breakthrough Could Revolutionize Electric Cars

Scientists Develop Oil Spill and Pollution Spotting Bacteria