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 actual