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Using nano-technology to synthesize artificial
molecules, Tel Aviv-based StoreDot says it has developed a
battery that can store a much higher charge more quickly, in
effect acting like a super-dense sponge to soak up power and
retain it.
While the prototype is currently far too bulky for a mobile
phone, the company believes it will be ready by 2016 to market a
slim battery that can absorb and deliver a day's power for a
smartphone in just 30 seconds.
"These are new materials, they have never been developed
before," said Doron Myersdorf, the founder and chief executive
of StoreDot, whose investors include Russian billionaire and
Chelsea soccer club owner Roman Abramovich.
The innovation is based around the creation of "nanodots", which
StoreDot describes as bio-organic peptide molecules. Nanodots
alter the way a battery behaves to allow the rapid absorption
and, critically, the retention of power.
The company has raised $48 million from two rounds of funding,
including backing from a leading mobile phone maker. Myersdorf
declined to name the company, but said it was Asian.
With the number of smartphone users forecast to reach 1.75
billion this year, StoreDot sees a big market, and some experts
think that -- with more work -- it could be on to a winner.
"We live in a power hungry world ... people are constantly
chasing a power outlet. StoreDot has the potential to solve this
real big problem," said Zack Weisfeld, who has worked with and
evaluated ventures in the mobile phone sector globally.
"They still have some way to go, to deal with size of battery
and power cycle rounds, but if solvable, it's a very big
breakthrough," he told Reuters. A power cycle round refers to
the number of times a battery can be re-charged in its lifetime.
Myersdorf said a fast-charge phone would cost $100-$150 more
than current models and would ultimately be able to handle 1,500
recharge/discharge cycles, giving it about three years of life.
He hopes to use the same technology to create a car battery that
recharges in two or three minutes, rather than current models
which commonly need to be charged overnight.
(Writing by Ori Lewis; Editing by Luke Baker and Mark Potter)
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