How a 94-year-old genius may save the planet

[KnightSlayer]

John Goodenough is 94, and his current work could be the key to Tesla’s future—much as, decades ago, his efforts were an important part of Sony’s era of dominance in portable gadgets. Over the years, Goodenough has scuffled with Warren Buffett, wound up screwed by global patent wars, never got rich off a headline-grabbing initial public offering and defied the American tech industry’s prejudice that says old people can’t innovate.

Goodenough announced in early March that he and his team at the University of Texas at Austin had invented a glass-based battery that blows away the performance of every previous kind of battery, including lithium-ion batteries—which were invented in the 1980s by…him.

Goodenough’s new battery can store three times more energy than a comparable lithium-ion battery, according to the very serious Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE). The new battery also solves some other lithium-ion troubles. Like, it won’t catch fire, so a hoverboard won’t suddenly melt your kid’s Vans as she scoots across the playground. The IEEE also reports that Goodenough’s batteries seem to be able to soak up in minutes as much charge as a lithium-ion battery gets in hours.

If Goodenough’s battery works as advertised, Tesla, General Motors and other automakers could sell electric cars that would travel 600 miles on a charge. Recharging would take about as long as a stop for breakfast at a Waffle House. “I think we have the possibility of doing what we’ve been trying to do for the last 20 years,” Goodenough told the IEEE. “That is, to get an electric car that will be competitive in cost and convenience with the internal combustion engine.”

http://www.rawstory.com/2017/03/how-a-94-year-old-genius-may-save-the-planet-2/

 

[Ranger Dan]

Wow! That is very cool and sounds quite promising. I wonder whether the petrolium industry will do anything to squash this idea? the man is 94 years old, after all... I wouldn't be surprised if he had a sudden health crisis.

 

[KnightSlayer]

Wow! That is very cool and sounds quite promising. I wonder whether the petrolium industry will do anything to squash this idea? the man is 94 years old, after all... I wouldn't be surprised if he had a sudden health crisis.

That would be a crying shame. I look forward to the day I can get all the power I need from high efficiency solar and some kick ass batteries.

 

[anon_1eeb2b426hv3y]

That would be a crying shame. I look forward to the day I can get all the power I need from high efficiency solar and some kick ass batteries.

+1 hope our children or grandchildren can see that in their lifetimes.

 

[mn78psu83]

Love the final line.

 

[BoulderFish]

That would be a crying shame. I look forward to the day I can get all the power I need from high efficiency solar and some kick ass batteries.

Yep. Mass electric cars will be great, but I'm even more looking forward to being able to disconnect my house from the power grid.

 

[Ranger Dan]

They have batteries now that will power a house for up to ten years, but they require fresh-saltwater... that won't work for my plan to move to Middleofnowhere Montana

 

[T J]

This time, will the Goodenough battery design be good enough... or better?

Hail to the Li-ion King!

May His New Glass Be Top Of Class!
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From the IEEE link...

Will a New Glass Battery Accelerate the End of Oil?

By Mark Anderson
Posted 3 Mar 2017 | 21:30 GMT

Photo: Cockrell School of Engineering

John Goodenough, coinventor of the lithium-ion battery, heads a team of researchers developing the technology that could one day supplant it.

Moreover, Braga says, early tests of their technology suggest it’s also capable of perhaps thousands of charge-discharge cycles, and could perform well in both extremely cold and hot weather. (Initial estimates place its operating range between below -20º C and 60º C.) And if they can switch the battery’s ionic messenger atom from lithium to sodium, the researchers could even source the batteries more reliably and sustainably. Rather than turning to controversial mining operations in a few South American countries for lithium, they’d be able to source sodium in essentially limitless supply from the world’s seawater.

Sadoway says he’s eager to learn more about the technology as it continues to be developed. In particular, he’s paying attention not so much to how quickly the battery charges but how well it can retain its energy. “The issue is not can you do something at a high charge rate,” he says. “My big question is about capacity fade and service lifetime.”

But, Sadoway adds, perhaps the chief innovation behind Goodenough and Braga’s technology is the possibility that they’ve solved the flaming and exploding battery problem.

“Addressing the [battery] safety issue is, I think, a giant step forward,” he says. “People have been talking about solid-state electrolytes for 20 years. But I can’t point to a commercial product yet…. If he can give us an electrolyte that is devoid of these flammable, organic solvents, that’s salutary in my opinion.”

If Goodenough, Braga, and collaborators can ramp up their technology, there would clearly be plenty of upsides. Goodenough says the team’s anode and electrolyte are more or less ready for prime time. But they’re still figuring out if and how they can make a cathode that will bring the promise of their technology to the commercial marketplace.

“The next step is to verify that the cathode problem is solved,” Goodenough says. “And when we do [that] we can scale up to large-scale cells. So far, we’ve made jelly-roll cells, and it looks like they’re working fairly well. So I’m fairly optimistic we’ll get there. But the development is going to be with the battery manufacturers. I don’t want to do development. I don’t want to be going into business. I’m 94. I don’t need the money.”

http://spectrum.ieee.org/energywise...s-new-glass-battery-accelerate-the-end-of-oil

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