Sony Creates Mega-Battery to Back Up Powerless Businesses
No doubt inspired by the tragic earthquake and resulting nuclear disaster in Japan, Sony has announced the ESSP-2000, a backup battery fit to keep a business afloat in the event of a power outage. Weighing in at just under 200 pounds, it's no lightweight, but it's capabilities definitely make up for its size. If your business should be unlucky enough to experience a power outage, the ESSP-2000 will kick in to provide 2.4kWh of electricity to the office. To put that number into perspective, a computer uses about .167 kWh of electricity in one hour.
The best part of this mega-battery is that it only takes two hours to recharge to 95 percent. This is due to the type of battery chemistry that Sony chose to use. The ESSP-2000 features olivine-type lithium-ion iron phosphate technology, a form of chemistry for rechargeable batteries that has a number of advantages over standard lithium-ion batteries (which use cobalt). First off, they are cheaper to manufacture, since they don't use expensive elements like cobalt. Secondly, they charge much faster. Third, they are non-toxic, and can be disposed of properly with very little effort, unlike more popular and extremely toxic lithium-ion technologies. Lastly (and probably the most impressive of all), Sony claims that the ESSP-2000 will last up to ten years!
The price of being able to continue to surf Facebook and fantasy sports even in the wake of a power outage or natural disaster? Two million yen, or $25,700 USD.
Source: Engadget
