Batteries

A Shield for the Next Generation: Lithium Batteries Get a Major Upgrade

Researchers found a silver coating that toughens the surface of an electrolyte fivefold against fracturing from mechanical pressure. It also makes existing imperfections much less vulnerable to lithium burrowing inside, especially during fast recharging.

Could Mobile Batteries Enable Electric Construction Vehicles to Enhance Grid Resilience?

In a first-of-its-kind test, engineers at the University of California San Diego are experimenting with large, mobile batteries to both charge electric...

Fast Charging of Electric Cars Without Cables

In a cooperative project, Empa researchers investigated inductive charging of electric cars. This is not only similarly efficient to cable-based charging but could also simplify the integration...

New Fuel Cell Could Enable Electric Aviation

Batteries are nearing their limits in terms of how much power they can store for a given weight. That’s a serious obstacle for energy innovation and the search for new ways to power airplanes, trains, and ships. Now, researchers at MIT and elsewhere have come up with a solution that could help electrify these transportation systems. Read on to learn more.

All-Solid-State Lithium Battery Breakthrough

Researchers at McGill University have made a major breakthrough in advancing all-solid-state lithium batteries, a promising next-generation technology for electric vehicle (EV) batteries. By addressing a long-standing issue with battery performance, this innovation could pave the way for safer, longer-lasting EVs. Read on to learn more.

Staining Technique Could Advance Li-ion Batteries

The discovery could lead to increased manufacturing efficiency of battery electrodes and ultimately help improve the charging rate and lifetime of Li-ion batteries.

Batteries that Can Withstand the Cold

Researchers at Texas A&M University have developed a battery design that continues operating through the coldest conditions.

Advancing All-Solid-State Batteries

To create efficient pathways for lithium-ion transport within the solid electrolyte, the research team focused on "divalent anions" such as oxygen and sulfur. Divalent anions play a crucial role in altering the crystal structure by integrating into the basic framework of the electrolyte.

Greener Energy? Drinkable Seawater? This Sodium-Ion Battery Breakthrough May Deliver Just that

Researchers detail how an existing sodium-based material, sodium vanadium oxide, can perform significantly better when the water it naturally contains is not removed.

Improved Safety, Durability, and Power: A Carbon-Based Battery Materials Breakthrough

This research demonstrates a new way to make carbon-based battery materials much safer, longer lasting, and more powerful by fundamentally redesigning how fullerene molecules are connected.

SAE Automotive Podcast: Solid-State Batteries

To help pass the time during your commute or while working around the house or in the garage, we've launched the SAE Automotive Engineering podcast.

Top 5 Tech Briefs Quizzes of 2025

Learn which of our little tests were the most popular this year. Find out which five quizzes topped our 2025 list. Thanks for yet another year of loyal readership; we appreciate your devotion to Tech Briefs. Happy Holidays!

SAE Automotive Engineering Podcast: Additive Manufacturing

To help pass the time during your commute or while working around the house or in the garage, we've launched the SAE Automotive Engineering podcast.

How Packet Digital Is Scaling Domestic Drone Battery Manufacturing

On this episode of the Aerospace & Defense Technology podcast, Packet Digital CEO Terri Zimmerman breaks down the company’s push to expand U.S.-based production of advanced lithium-ion batteries for military unmanned aircraft systems. Listen now!

The Future of Axial- and Radial-Flux Motors

Traditionally, most motors used in EVs and mobility platforms have been radial flux systems. In recent years, there have been major strides in alternative axial flux motor architectures. What exactly do these architectural differences mean for motor design and production? Read on to find out.

EV Industry Grapples with Unprecedented Battery Regulation Compliance Challenges

The EU Battery Regulation demands unprecedented granularity in supply chain tracking. Read on to learn more about what this means.

The End of the Beginning: Why the EV Market Will Overcome the Loss of Tax Credits

Will EV sales in the U.S. double by the end of the decade, or more? Will the U.S. keep pace with China’s relentless iterative improvements on EV technology, or will China increasingly dominate the rapidly electrifying global transportation industry? Read on to learn more.

New Products

See the new products, including Plasmatreat's HydroPlasma, a solution for the removal of stubborn contaminants from glass and metal surfaces; TDK Corporation's 3000-watt TDK-Lambda brand HWS3000G programmable AC-DC power supplies; Zircotec's new range of proprietary ceramic coatings; Thermo Fisher Scientific's expanded solutions for battery manufacturers; and more.

Heavy-Payload Conveyance Paves the Way for Next-Generation Battery Manufacturing

Battery packs are becoming larger and heavier, particularly in applications such as electric trucks, aviation and renewable energy storage. As payload requirements increase, manufacturers are turning to advanced automation and material handling systems to keep pace. Read on to learn what this means.

How Carbon Fibers Can Help Manufacture Li-ion Batteries

Oak Ridge National Laboratory researchers have overcome a barrier to using a more affordable, dry process for manufacturing the Li-ion batteries used in vehicles and electronic devices. The resulting batteries provide greater electricity flow and reduced risk of overheating. Read on to learn more.

New Self-Assembling Material Could Be the Key to Recyclable EV Batteries

Today’s electric vehicle boom is tomorrow’s mountain of electronic waste. And while myriad efforts are underway to improve battery recycling, many EV batteries still end up in landfills. A research team from MIT wants to help change that with a new kind of self-assembling battery material that quickly breaks apart when submerged in a simple organic liquid. Read on to learn more.

Breakthrough Advances Sodium-Based Battery Design

Read on to learn about research that raises the benchmark for sodium-based all-solid-state batteries and demonstrates thick cathodes that retain performance at room temperature down to subzero conditions.