14 DAY TRIAL // If you got worried about the increasing number of reports regarding exploding notebook batteries, you should rest at ease, as Zpower has just announced a new type of battery pack, based on silver and zinc. The new compound will not only put an end to the feared explosions, but will also significantly increase the battery lifetime.
According to Zpower, the new batteries will be shipped in both consumer and business-oriented notebooks from all the major mobile PC manufacturers. Ross Dueber, CEO of Zpower, refused to give further details about the company's channel partners, but a list of vendors will be available soon.
Dueber explained that the new compound would be able to increase the battery lifetime with up to 40 percent than a lithium-Ion counterpart. Moreover, since the pack is based on water, the result will be a nonflammable battery, that can be dropped and overheated without any side-effect.
The company also detailed about the fact that silver-zinc is a non-degradable material. While Lithium-Ion batteries usually lose 30 percent of their capacity over the first year of use, the Zpower batteries won't degrade at all. However, after the first year of use, the silver-zinc batteries will start losing capacity at the same rate as the Lithium-Ion cells.
The batteries could represent an extremely viable alternative to the notorious Lithium-Ion technology, but given the fact that silver-zinc is a relatively new approach to storing electricity, their efficiency in the real life is yet to be proven. Any manufacturing flaws might be still hidden, which means that PC manufacturers will adopt it as the technology gets perfected.
"What we see here is a very strong product that will alleviate those issues. I don't know if it's going to be a silver bullet, but it could be a viable alternative," said Jeff Shepard, president of the Darnell Group.
Another unknown, yet critical aspect is pricing. Lithium-Ion batteries are already cheap, as they have been in production for a long time now. The silver-zinc batteries contain silver, a rare and semi-precious metal, that might add a premium over the price of a conventional battery.