As American comedian Demetri Martin pointed out, batteries are one of the technologies we represent. “Others stop working or break,” he said. “But the battery dies.” Observation is more perceptive than it first seems. Surrounded by smartphones, tablets and other digital technologies, for some of us life almost stops when we run out of juice. It’s easy to lament the time lost to recharging, even if it’s just 30 minutes.
If that sounds like a silly reaction, there is a serious side to this when it comes to the batteries that power electric vehicles. The fact that charging typically takes hours is a major obstacle to decarbonizing transport in one of the world’s largest greenhouse gas emitters. For humanity, we need to shorten the charging time. But with the foundations of battery science the same as they were half a century ago, the prospects for significant improvements look slim.
Slim, but not impossible. Now quantum physics can come to our rescue.By exploiting the strange behavior of subatomic particles, quantum batteries will be able to charge much faster than any conventional device. As a handy bonus, the larger the quantum battery, the better the performance. The concept is still in its infancy, but recent experimental demonstrations and some theoretical advances suggest that the world of uninterrupted portable power isn’t all that hyped. may come alive in
Technically speaking, a battery is…
