Your Next Notebook Battery Will Have More In Common With a Prius Than an Energizer

Battery life is one of the biggest limiting factors for mobile notebook use. Companies are trying to deliver longer lasting and faster charging batteries, but that’s not going to fix the bigger issue of overall battery life measured in years not hours. Leyden Energy is hoping to fix this problem by unveiling a new notebook battery which will go three years without the shortened battery life that we have all experienced as our notebooks and laptops age. The new, long life batteries owe their existence to research aimed at delivering better battery life to electric cars.

Traditional notebook batteries, like the one in your notebook, suffer from poor performance over time as the internal components of the battery begin to degrade. This is why your 2-year-old notebook won’t last as long as it did when you first bought it and is a common complaint among notebook owners. The new notebook batteries have an electrolyte which won’t degrade at low temperatures , allowing the battery to last for 3 years while maintaining 80% of the original life. Leyden Energy CEO Aakar Patel tells Rueters that the cost of the new 3 year battery, “will be less than double the cost of a one-year battery.” These 3 year batteries are rated for 440 watt hours and 1,000 charge and discharge cycles.

The new 3 year notebook batteries will be available from DR Battery in the coming weeks, but no price or notebook models have been announced. DR Battery sells replacement batteries for over 50 brands of notebooks, so we hope to see these replacement batteries available for a number of manufacturers. Eventually Leyden Energy is aiming to have these batteries available when you purchase your notebook from big names like Dell and HP as well as in portable gadgets like tablets and smartphones.

Traditionally businesses have been more concerned about battery life degradation than consumers, or at least more willing to pay for 3 year batteries, which is why you will see many business notebooks available with a 3 year battery option. IF you plan to pick up a second notebook battery, you may want to take a look at Dr Battery in the coming weeks, otherwise look out for a longer lasting battery on your next notebook.