The days of sitting on the airport floor for an hour, clinging to an outlet to charge a cell phone may soon be coming to an end.
Zap&Go Carbon Ion Cell, a technology business company based in Oxford, U.K., has developed the 5-Minute Charger that utilizes carbon-ion technology to charge a cell phone in a manner of minutes.
Stephen Voller, CEO and founder of ZapGo, said in an exclusive interview with R&D Magazine that the new charger, along with advancements in battery technology, will enable people to charge their phones in just a fraction of the time they are accustomed to doing today.
“We could possibly charge the device in a matter of minutes or seconds and provide something that was very, very safe,” Voller said.
The company debuted the Zap&Go Carbon-Ion cell at the 2017 Consumer Electronics Show held in Las Vegas from Jan. 5-8. The product was used in a Razor E300-scooter, a Nyko Zap&Go Carbon-Ion powered bicycle energy pack and a Nyko Bluetooth five-minute charging speaker, an 18-volt power drill and a cordless cleaner.
The device can charge three mobile devices simultaneously with 2x standard USB ports and a Qi wireless charging pad. The device can capture and store 1,500 mAh (milli-Amp hours) in five minutes, which could take an iPhone 5 battery from empty to 100 percent charged and an iPhone 6 to 75 percent charged.
Voller said he came up with the idea for the fast charging battery when he was stuck sitting on the floor in an airport charging his phone.
“The idea behind it really came out of frustration three years ago when I was doing a lot of international travel,” Voller said. “You just want to charge the thing for a few minutes, unplug it and then get on with your life.
According to Voller, the new technology also has potential for autonomous vehicles.
The 5-Minute Charger is just one of several technological advances that are coming up the pike in the next few years from Zap&Go Carbon Ion Cell.
“I really believe our children and our grandchildren will laugh at us,” he said. “The last thing a lot of us think about is to plug in our phone and it is ridiculous that we are slaves to our devices.”
The majority of electronic products, including mobile phones, tablets, notebooks, as well as cordless power tools, cordless cleaners, hoverboards, e-bikes and electric vehicles utilize lithium-ion batteries.
However, researchers all over the globe have been seeking ways to improve on the lithium-ion batteries.
In November, R&D Magazine reported on a study out of the University of Central Florida where scientists developed a new process for creating supercapacitors that can be used for mobile phones and electric vehicles.
