At first blush, this report may remind you of claims of 100 MPG automobiles, or the car that ran off of water from the 1970’s, but considering the pedigree of the parties involved, it looks as if you may soon be able to charge your iPhone from 0% to 100% in around a minute.
The WSJ reports that StoreDot, the start-up behind the technology, has its background in the Nanotechnology department of Tel Aviv University, and it’s been demonstrated at Microsoft’s Think Next conference.
While fast battery charging has been around for awhile, it involves special, and not so portable batteries. However, the WSJ report says the new charging system charges batteries small enough to be used in smartphones. A Samsung handset is used in the demonstration video, and the company says it plans to make versions for other phones too.
The commercial product is predicted to cost around twice what a conventional charger costs. The company still has some work to do to make it shelf-ready, as the prototype is as big as a laptop charger, but the company is working on reducing the size, and hopes production will start in late 2016.
The technology may also be extended to provide super-fast charging of larger devices such as iPads and MacBooks. Imagine charging your MacBook in the time it takes to microwave a breakfast burrito. In just 2 minutes, both you and your laptop are ready to take on the day!