Better batteries for a better world

Worldchanging is one of the coolest blogs on the Internet. In the words of their about page, the site is built around the premise that "the tools, models and ideas for building a better future lie all around us." Since October 2003, the good folk who run the blog have been posting links and analyses of such tools, models and ideas. The blog is thought-provoking, insightful and very informative. In a world where we're bombarded by news of death and disaster practically every day, it's good to take a step back and think about how we could try and improve the future.

A recent post on Worldchanging talks about batteries. They might not seem like the most exciting, world-changing sort of technology, but advances in battery technology will help to make electric cars (and other forms of electric transportation) a more viable alternative to gasoline-fueled cars and drastically improve the amount of lifetime of mobile devices (Worldchanging has highlighted the roles of handphones in particular as important environmental, developmental and political tools).

The post focuses on 5 new battery technologies, which range from improvements in lithium-based battery technology that will make them more stable, cheaper and more spacious than existing lithium-based batteries, to a new ultracapacitor that promises drastically improved storage capacity- something that will greatly benefit manufacturers of hybrid and fuel-cell cars which rely on ultracapacitor technology.

If you want to see more of how bleeding-edge technologies can be used to improve the world, head on down to Worldchanging. You won't be disappointed.