Hasta La Gadget!

We’ve got flexible displays, printed circuits, memory and even chargers — why not batteries? So far, this has eluded manufacturers, but now researchers from the Korean Advanced Institute of Science and Technology have got the ball rolling with a high performance bendable lithium-ion version. As the video after the break (no sound) shows, the peel-and-stick type manufacturing process they devised allows the cell to provide constant juice, no matter how much it’s deformed. Now the scientists are looking at ways of upping the capacity, so they can power more than just Christmas tree lights and ultimately bring “the next-generation of fully flexible” devices to market. That’s no small thing, considering what some products are willing to do to fit into those tight aluminum jeans.

Continue reading Korean scientists solve flexible battery riddle (video)

Filed under: Science

Korean scientists solve flexible battery riddle (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Aug 2012 08:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’ve seen plenty of users report that Apple’s latest OS, Mountain Lion, has caused a massive drop in battery life. While we haven’t been able to confirm any decrease in longevity with our own OS 10.8 machines, which include previous generation MacBook Pros and the company’s latest Retina model, it’s clear that some of you who were able to get the operating system downloaded and installed have experienced some not-so-favorable side effects with your Pros and MacBook Airs. While there are plenty of theories, there has yet to be a fix, though Apple is reportedly investigating the issue. This isn’t the first time users have reported decreased battery life after an OS update, with a lengthy support thread popping up after Lion’s release last year. So, how has the upgrade affected you? Sound off in the poll below to let us know.

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Filed under: Software

Poll: Is Mountain Lion devouring your Mac’s battery life? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Aug 2012 14:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Chip Yates is a speed junkie in the truest sense. After nabbing the title for world’s fastest EV motorcycle in April of 2011, the self-proclaimed “green technology innovator” is at it again. This time, Yates was able to conquer the sky above using the Long-ESA EV craft he and his Flight of the Century team engineered using a Burt Rutan Long-EZ and proprietary Infinite Range battery tech. The record-breaking flight in question took off from Inyokern Airport on July 19, achieving a top speed of 202.6MPH and solidifying Yates’ place in the pantheon of electric enthusiasts. You can head past the break to check out a brief video snippet of the successful mission in action, but fair warning: it’s not as exciting as you’d imagine. We’re guessing it’s one of those things you’d have to be there (in the cockpit) to appreciate.

Continue reading Chip Yates breaks yet another record, notches 202MPH in world’s fastest electric flight (video)

Chip Yates breaks yet another record, notches 202MPH in world’s fastest electric flight (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 22 Jul 2012 05:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EV flyer Long-ESA has started high-speed taxi tests on its quest to become the first electric airplane to cross the Atlantic. Using a Long-EZ kit plane designed by Burt Rutan as a platform for the volts-only powertrain, the Flight of the Century project is the brainchild of electric enthusiast Chip Yates, who already holds the speed record of 190MPH on an EV motorcycle. The developer’s plan is to use a fleet of five drones to dock with the main Long-ESA ship and exchange batteries in mid-air, giving it enough juice to make the trip. Successful ground trials should lead to flight tests later this month, with the transatlantic attempt slated for 2014, followed by EV airplane speed and altitude attempts, to boot. It remains to be seen if the complex plan might result in commercial electric aviation as Yates predicts — but judging by the video after the break it’ll be fun to watch them try.

Continue reading Electric plane performs taxi tests as prelude to transatlantic attempt (video)

Filed under: Transportation

Electric plane performs taxi tests as prelude to transatlantic attempt (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 17 Jul 2012 17:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nissan has just revealed a very useful service for its popular electric vehicle, the Nissan Leaf. The service allows the owner of  Leaf to better gauge whether or not their battery has enough power left to get them to their destination. The service will be accessible through the internet and via a smartphone app as well.

Basically, you plug in a destination and it will tell you how much battery capacity will be used by traveling to your chosen destination based on what types of roads will be used, use of air conditioning, amount of hills, and distance traveled. Nissan has developed this system to help overcome range anxiety, or worrying about not being able to make it to your destination safely, which has been a major concern in the Electric Vehicle industry and has helped prevent the large scale adoption of electric vehicles. The smartphone app will be released in Japan this month and a US and European version of the app is currently in development. We will keep you updated on the status of the app as more info becomes available.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: New spray-on batteries could revolutionize energy storage, Paintable battery invented at Rice University,