Increasingly sophisticated devices are making greater demands on battery life, with the development of advanced batteries capable of catering to modern demands a priority for the tech industry.According to a report by The Wall Street Journal, Google has been active in the area, forming a research team devoted to working on projects investigating methods to improve lithium-ion and solid-state battery life.
The team, headed up by former Apple battery expert Dr Ramesh Bhardwaj, started out testing batteries developed by others for use in Google devices in late 2012, and around a year later expanded to investigate developing batteries Google might develop itself, according to people familiar with the matter, the WSJ reported.
The team, part of the Google X research lab, comprises just four members, according to the report.
Battery life is a major issue for manufacturers as the next-gen wave of tech makes its way into the consumer electronics market.
For instance, in the rapidly growing smartwatch segment, battery life is proving a hurdle for manufacturers looking to balance next-gen features with the capacity for longer periods between charging.
Asus earlier in the year indicated it could turn to another operating system in favour of Android Wear for future smartwatches, seeking to deliver longer battery life.
From smartwatches to smartphones to transportation, battery life is a major priority for manufacturers.
Google is by no means alone in its quest to develop more efficient battery tech, with Apple among the other tech heavy hitters reportedly expanding its efforts in the area.
Bhardwaj and his team is working on advancing current lithium-ion technology and solid-state batteries for consumer devices such as Google Glass eyewear and Google’s glucose-measuring contact lenses, according to people with the matter, the WSJ has reported.
“Google wants to control more of their own destiny in various places along the hardware supply chain,” the WSJ reported Lior Susan, head of hardware strategy at venture-capital firm Formation 8, as stating. “Their moves into drones, cars and other hardware all require better batteries.”
