Your e-Car Battery Won't Run Out Even When in the Garage

                In a bid to improve on the miles electric cars give per minute of charge, researchers have designed a thin, plastic membrane that stops rechargeable batteries from discharging when not in use and allows for rapid recharging. The technology, applied for patent, controls how charge flows inside a battery, and was inspired by how cell membranes transport proteins in body. It could be applied in “super-capacitors” for electric cars and even help prevent fires that plague some models of hover-boards, researchers said. Researchers hope the “smart” membrane will enable the development of a new category of fast-charging and powerful batteries called “redox transistor batteries” for automobiles that will travel farther on a single charge.

                The best eco-car makers appear to have a hit a performance limit, and the limit is 0.4 miles-less than half a mile of driving per minute of charging, researchers said. Today’s very best eco-friendly cars can travel around 200 miles after an 8-hour charge, while gas-powered cars can cover the same distance after only minute spent at the pump. Researchers hope their technology can provide up to tens of miles per minute of charge. That is still an order of magnitude away from the equivalent measure in gasoline. Researchers are using their invention to develop a new kind of battery in which energy is stored in a liquid electrolyte, which people can recharge or empty and refill as they would refill a gas tank.