Lithium-ion continues to be the No. 1 choice for rechargeable batteries powering the gadgets in our pockets, the laptops in our bags, and the electric vehicles we drive. But we need new battery tech that's safer to use and offers much higher energy density. Automotive company Fisker may have the answer.

Fisker is best known for creating the Fisker Karma electric luxury sports sedan back in 2012 and now the EMotion. As Green Car Congress reports, Fisker this week filed a patent for a new solid-state battery. If it lives up to expectations, this battery will provide electric vehicles with a range of over 500 miles on a single charge. On top of that, recharging will only take a minute.

That impressive combination of range and charge time is thanks to the use of three-dimensional electrodes by Fisker. It allows the solid-state battery to hold 2.5 times the energy density of the equivalent lithium-ion battery.

Fisker has apparently already overcome some limitations of current solid-state battery technology including cold temperature operation and charging time. Low cost and scalable manufacturing is promised, but Fisker also points to the flexibility of its battery tech allowing it to be tweaked to work with existing tooling, which again cuts costs and speeds up production.

We shouldn't expect to see Fisker's battery appear anytime soon, though. The patent is filed and Fisker is now talking with both automotive and non-automotive companies about partnerships. Commercial application of the solid-state battery isn't expected until 2023. Even so, one-minute recharging in five years sounds pretty good to me.

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