Huawei is developing technology to charge smartphone battery ten times faster

Huawei introduces fast charging technology for lithium-ion batteries in smartphones. According to the Chinese company, with an adjustment of the anode, the battery can be charged ten times faster than is possible with conventional models so far.

The technology was developed by a laboratory affiliated with Huawei and has been tested extensively in recent times, so stilt the Chinese manufacturer on its community website. The developed battery charging technology was presented during the so-called Battery Symposium in Japan, but it is not yet clear when it can be used commercially. According to Huawei, it is working with industrial partners to further develop the technology.

In a video is too to see how fast a 3000mAh smartphone battery can be charged with the new technology. The battery is charged almost half full in five minutes via a specially developed charger. That is considerably faster than has been possible with conventional batteries and chargers: according to Huawei, the new battery can make charging mobile phones ten times faster than usual.

The new battery works with so-called heteroatoms, atoms other than carbon or hydrogen that are in a molecular ring structure. These are connected to the graphite molecules in the anode of the battery, in order to ‘capture’ lithium ions with higher efficiency. That speeds up charging, but otherwise has no negative impact on battery life and energy density, the maker argues. However, many details are still missing, as Huawei has not put a detailed explanation of the working mechanism online. There are also no precise figures on the charging speeds achieved and the lifespan of the new batteries.

Incidentally, Huawei does not only use the new technology for smartphones. Other devices, such as wearables and the batteries of electric cars, could also benefit from the new technology.