Toshiba Li-Ion Battery Recharges In A Minute

A new Toshiba lithium-ion battery recharges to 80% of capacity in just a minute, according to InformationWeek. Current generation Li-Ion batteries require one to four hours to achieve this level of recharge. The battery loses only a percent of storage capacity after 1,000 cycles.

According to Toshiba, the secret's in the negative electrode. "Nano-particles prevent organic liquid electrolytes from reducing during battery recharging," said Toshiba in a statement. "The nano-particles quickly absorb and store vast amount of lithium ions, without causing any deterioration in the electrode."

Obviously, such batteries could have uses in hybrid vehicle systems as well.