HP’s Notebook Batteries Go Green
Boston Power announced plans to provide a new battery technology that will be used in Hewlett-Packard notebooks’ environmentally friendly device lineup. The new lithium-ion battery cell, called Sonata, is said to last for up to three years of daily use without losing its maximum performance. Furthermore, the performance of these batteries is about three times better than ordinary batteries and could potentially last as much as four years for notebooks that are only used during regular weekdays.
According to Boston Power, the Sonata can be charged to capacity 1,000 times and can be recharged 50% faster than other batteries. Because these batteries have greater longevity, they’re expected to reduce the amount of waste from lithium-ion batteries by allowing users to keep these batteries for longer lengths of time without replacing them.
Sonata uses a drop-in form factor, which enables it to be used with existing notebook computers. The Sonata batteries will first be available to HP customers as an upgrade option. You’ll also be able to buy the optional HP notebook batteries with Sonata technology for use in select HP consumer notebook PCs sometime early next year. Additionally, the HP Enviro Series program notebook batteries with Sonata technology will come with a full three-year warranty.
Boston-Power's core technology isn't exclusive to HP and could therefore be licensed to other notebook manufacturers as well. No other customers have been named to date, however. The company also hopes to utilize this technology in other electronic devices as well as electric vehicles.
Longer battery life and better battery longevity sound great to us. We’re cheering Boston Power on in hopes that they are on to something big here.