Google X Skunkworks Lab Is Cooking Up Delicious, Next Generation Battery Technology
We're always hearing about promising new battery technologies, though in the end, they're always too expensive, too big, or too whatever to make it into the mainstream. Eventually that's going to change and there will be a breakthrough that truly redefines the battery category, the question, who's going to do it? Perhaps Google.
According to The Wall Street Journal, one of the teams working inside Google's not-so-secret X lab is entirely focused on battery technology. As the story goes, former Apple battery expert Dr. Ramesh Bhardwaj and his team of researchers began testing batteries developed by other firms for use in Google devices in late 2012. As the months went on, they decided to switch gears and focus on battery technologies that they could develop without outside help.
It's a small group spanning just four members. However, the work they're doing has big implications, especially for Google. If you think about the hardware projects Google is working on, battery technology plays a key role in just about all of them, from self-driving and electric cars to wearables like Glass and even drones.
These are just a few examples. The challenge, of course, is coming up with that breakthrough fits all the criteria to change the game. Batteries must be affordable, hold their charge for long periods of time, be able to recharge many times without degrading, and sized appropriately for their applications.
It's said that Google is focusing on advancing current lithium-ion technology and cutting edge solid state batteries for consumer devices. The question is, can they beat others to the punch?
According to The Wall Street Journal, one of the teams working inside Google's not-so-secret X lab is entirely focused on battery technology. As the story goes, former Apple battery expert Dr. Ramesh Bhardwaj and his team of researchers began testing batteries developed by other firms for use in Google devices in late 2012. As the months went on, they decided to switch gears and focus on battery technologies that they could develop without outside help.
It's a small group spanning just four members. However, the work they're doing has big implications, especially for Google. If you think about the hardware projects Google is working on, battery technology plays a key role in just about all of them, from self-driving and electric cars to wearables like Glass and even drones.
These are just a few examples. The challenge, of course, is coming up with that breakthrough fits all the criteria to change the game. Batteries must be affordable, hold their charge for long periods of time, be able to recharge many times without degrading, and sized appropriately for their applications.
It's said that Google is focusing on advancing current lithium-ion technology and cutting edge solid state batteries for consumer devices. The question is, can they beat others to the punch?
