Energy Storage

Making EV Batteries Truly Sustainable: Where to Focus and What Industry Can Do

As the global electric vehicle fleet approaches 40 million vehicles, a critical question emerges: are we truly on the path to building a sustainable transportation future, and where should we focus our efforts to improve? The answer lies in how quickly we can move from today’s linear EV battery value chain into a truly circular system. Read on to learn more.

Quality Assurance: The Hidden Key to Battery Manufacturing

Ultimately, the success of the battery industry will not be determined solely by breakthroughs in chemistry or capacity. It will be judged by its ability to manufacture at scale, safely, sustainably, and affordably. And that only hinges on quality assurance. Read on to learn more.

Lithium Metal Battery Issue Might be Solved

KAIST announced that the research team led by Prof. Nam-Soon Choi has developed a technology that resolves the most critical challenge of lithium-metal batteries, “interfacial instability,” at the electronic structure level. Read on to learn more.

Safer Batteries for Storing Energy at Massive Scale

Among the enduring challenges of storing energy is batteries that can hold large amounts of electricity for a long time. In addition to having a large capacity – potentially enough to power a neighborhood or small city for days or weeks – ideally, these batteries would be safe, affordable, and environmentally harmless. With an eye toward meeting those benchmarks, researchers at Case Western Reserve University are developing novel electrolytes—fluids that can conduct ions—for rechargeable flow batteries.

How Redwood Materials Prioritizes Battery Recycling Safety

Whether it’s a phone, mouse, e-bike, or EV, the batteries powering those devices at some point need to be collected, shipped, and recycled in a safe manner. Read on to learn what Redwood Materials is working on to help make this happen.

New Products

See the new products, including BYD's FLASH Charging, delivering up to 1500kW through a single connector, and the second generation of its Blade Battery; Sensata's FaultBreak contactor, a next-generation high-voltage switching and protection solution; and more.

A Flexible and Efficient DC-DC Power Converter

A new DC-DC power converter is superior to previous designs and paves the way for more efficient, reliable, and sustainable energy storage and conversion solutions. The Kobe University development can efficiently interface with a wide range of energy sources while enhancing system stability and simplicity at an unprecedented efficiency. Read on to learn more.

A Proof‑of‑Concept Quantum Battery

In a new study, scientists have created a proof‑of‑concept quantum battery that can charge, store and discharge energy – the closest step yet toward a working quantum battery. Read on to learn more.

Test Your Knowledge About Hydrogen Fuel Cells

Here is a five-question quiz to see how much you know about fuel cells. Take now!

Porous Radical Organic Framework Improves Lithium-Sulfur Batteries

A team led by Professor Yan Lu, Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin, and Professor Arne Thomas, Technical University of Berlin, has developed a material that enhances the capacity and stability of lithium-sulfur batteries. Read on to learn more.

Products of Tomorrow

See the products of tomorrow, including a new material that can use sunlight and water to convert carbon dioxide into carbon monoxide; a novel design for solar-powered data centers that will orbit the Earth and could realistically scale to meet the growing demand for AI computing while reducing the environmental impact of data centers; and more.

New Technology Makes Solar Panels Blend Seamlessly Into Buildings

German researchers have developed a technique for applying realistic designs to photovoltaic modules, which convert sunlight into electricity, enabling them to mimic roof tiles and integrate more seamlessly into buildings. Read on to learn about this new method, termed ShadeCut.

New Products

See the new products, including Littelfuse's TPSMB Asymmetrical Series TVS Diodes; Siemens' SICHARGE FLEX product family, its next-generation EV distributed charging system; Renesas Electronics Corporation's expansion of its software-defined vehicle solution offerings centered around the fifth generation (Gen 5) R-Car family; and much more.

Breakthrough in Carbon-Based Battery Materials Improves Safety, Durability, and Power

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. Read on to learn more.

Building an Affordable Grid-Scale Alternative to Batteries

Researchers at Rice University have found a new way to improve a key element of thermophotovoltaic systems, which convert heat into electricity via light. Read on to learn more about it.

Beyond Lithium: The Rise of Calcium-Ion Energy Storage

The innovative approach led to the creation of a full calcium-ion cell that exhibited a reversible specific capacity of 155.9 mAh g–1 at 0.15 A g–1 and maintained over 74.6 percent capacity retention at 1 A g–1 after 1,000 cycles, showcasing the potential of redox COFs to advance CIB technology.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.