The new batteries for notebooks will be based on the current lithium polymer technology used in some mobile phones. Both types of batteries use lithium as an active ingredient, which is a very volatile material. The main difference between lithium ion and lithium polymer is the way the lithium is packed into the batteries. The lithium ion batteries have the lithium packed into cells while the lithium on lithium polymer batteries is contained in a polymer gel, making this type of batteries a lot safer to use.
The problem with actual lithium batteries is that when an internal short occurs, they can start a chain reaction that can cause a fire. Several manufactures like Dell, Toshiba and Apple Computers have seen their batteries go on fire for the past few years and have spent millions replacing these burnt batteries.
In the past, the lithium polymer batteries had not been consider as an option for notebooks as they couldnt produce the same amount of energy density as lithium batteries, but developments have been made and it looks like they are now ready to be incorporated to notebooks worldwide.
But safety is not the only advantage of the new lithium polymer batteries. These new batteries can be squeezed into notebooks empty spaces, reducing overall size and weight of the device, and thats why the designers love them.
Some companies are promoting a completely different type of battery that doesnt use lithium. This alternative battery is zinc based and doesnt have the risk of going on fire. Zinc based batteries, like the Zinc Matrix Power will start shipping in 2007.
By Nacho Galvez