NEC Develops Fastest Rechargeable Battery

The NEC Corp.’s organic radical battery can be recharged to the same level of power as that stored in nickel-hydrogen cells in about 30 seconds, compared with around an hour needed by conventional rechargeables. This allows 80 hours of continuous operation of an MD player. The battery also can discharge power in a short time, making it useful in applications requiring a large amount of power. NEC believes the battery can be used as an emergency power source for computers in case of blackouts as well as in hybrid cars driven by a gasoline engine and electric motor.

The company plans to convert existing production facilities into ones able to manufacture the new product. The price of the new battery is expected to be about the same as nickel-hydrogen cells when mass production starts, since it does not contain any expensive materials.

NEC, based in Tokyo, is also developing a recharger for the battery that can be used at home.