Most battery advances concentrate on improving hardware, but researchers from the University of California San Diego have developed new algorithms that can cut lithium-ion battery charge times in half.


Usually battery behavior is tracked by monitoring voltage and current, but according to the researchers relying on those measures leads to over-designed, oversized batteries that weigh and cost more. Instead, the San Diego researchers have been developing complex algorithms that can estimate where lithium ions are within cells to more accurately predict battery health.

The upshot of better understanding how the battery is fairing is that it's possible to improve charging efficiency. Indeed, the researchers are already able to charge batteries twice as fast than is currently possible.


Usually these articles come laden with caveats to quell excitement, but in this case the researchers are incredibly confident about what will become of their research: "This technology is going into products that people will actually use." Let's see if their promise comes true. [USCD via EurekAlert via Engadget]

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