Sony has announced that they have released a new type of Lithium ion battery that will last longer and charge faster than anything currently on the market. The new "Olivine-type" battery uses Olivine-type lithium iron phosphate. This material has a more robust crystal structure offering stable performance even at high temperatures.

The new Li-ion battery promises to charge in just 30 minutes up to 99% of its maximum capacity with a lifespan of 2000 charge/discharge cycles. Even have 2000 charges, it will still retain 80% of its original capacity. They have managed to achieve 1800W/kg density which allows a high (20A) output that remains stable. Sony has promised that the first versions of these batteries will be placed in power tools (score one for us). They have already started shipping the 1.1 Ah version of this battery in June. We expect they will soon be adapted to more of Sony's core products like portable electronics and cell phones. Until then, we get to reap the benefits of their research.

Specifications

This will hopefully bring some much-needed competition for Sanyo, who is one of the companies dominating the lithium-ion market for tool batteries. Competition is almost always a good thing and we are happy to see Sony take to the manufacturing streets with this new battery technology.