Batteries

Power outages, freak weather events, and a crumbling grid have led many in the US to question just how reliable their electricity supply is, and Kohler may have just the home storage battery system to settle some of those fears. While the brand may be most commonly associated with faucets and the like, the Power Reserve Energy Storage System being shown off at CES 2022 sees it branch out into Tesla Powerwall territory.

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Hydrogen-powered Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles (FCEVs) have something of a bad rap despite having some clear advantages over conventional EVs like those made by Tesla. In fact, Tesla CEO Elon Musk has variously called the technology "mind-bogglingly stupid", "a load of rubbish", and "fool cells" (via CNBC). While Musk may have a vested interest in promoting Tesla's preferred battery-based EV technology, he is undoubtedly standing on some solid ground when it comes to questions over FCEV technology that have yet to be satisfactorily addressed.

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Batteries have become a critical part of everyday life, especially as we become more dependent on electrical devices that run on them, from smartphones to laptops to even electric vehicles. Despite their essential role, batteries haven't exactly changed by leaps and bounds in the past years. Bluetti, one of if not the most prolific makers of solar generators a.k.a. portable batteries, is now trying to push the envelope of battery technology by presenting one such product that swaps the typical lithium-ion for sodium-ion.

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It's that time of year when lights are flickering intentionally, at least when it comes to Christmas decor. The past few weeks' unfortunate events, however, have probably made some homeowners worried when the lights go out because of acts of nature. Fortunately, Bluetti has a wide range of products that can give you the power you need and charge up even on an overcast day. Even better, it is closing the year with a bang with holiday discounts in case you missed the frighteningly low prices last Halloween.

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If you're having problems with your iPhone 13 battery draining too fast, you aren't alone. We've seen a few complaints about the iPhone 13 battery life since the phone's release in late 2021. A lot of the trouble with the iPhone 13's battery can be fixed by disabling features like 5G. 5G connectivity is nice, but it takes a bit more juice than LTE to stay connected. And, in many cases, the service just isn't as widely available as LTE, so some users might benefit from turning it off completely.

Of course, if you don't want to disable 5G, there are a few other tricks you can try to increase your iPhone 13's bad battery life. We've outlined some of the best options below, though it's important to note that a few of them are easier than others. As such, we recommend following the steps in the order we've included them to find the best solution for your battery troubles.

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Most people need to charge their smartphones every day or two, but a new scientific breakthrough made by researchers with IBM and Samsung may change that. The two companies partnered on a breakthrough semiconductor design they call the Vertical-Transport Nanosheet Field Effect Transistor (VTFET), a new chip architecture that may, when compared to the more conventional finFET tech, cut energy use by up to 85-percent or double performance.

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Many smartphone makers aside from Apple, Samsung, and Google have been racing to provide the fastest charging technologies, but these are all just band-aid solutions to the real problem plaguing smartphones for years on end. Battery technology, especially for consumer electronics, hasn't exactly made leaps and bounds in the past years in contrast to the fast-paced innovation happening in smartphones and even charging technologies. Xiaomi, however, wants to sing a different tune soon, and it is announcing an advancement in its battery R&D that sounds almost too modest but actually has a bigger impact than a 120W super-fast charging speed.

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You can't build electric cars without batteries, and GM is announcing a new joint venture that it hopes will bring down costs and boost performance as it launches EVs at $30,000 and below. The automaker plans to source, process, or manufacturer the majority of its Ultium electric vehicle batteries in North America by 2025, with the aim of reducing reliance on what's already looking like a stretched supply chain.

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It's that time of the year again when stores and brands make massive cuts in prices to entice people to spend their hard-earned cash on their products. There is almost a sense of whimsy and frivolity in some of the choices we make during this period, clicking on anything that may catch our attention or tickle our fancy at that very moment. It is, however, also an opportunity to make an investment in something that will be useful for months and even years to come. Fortunately, Bluetti's Black Friday sale is now also upon us, giving buyers more chances to ensure that they'll have power to use when things really go black.

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The Pixel 6 series so far has been earning accolades and positive reviews for its combination of hardware, software, and price. It is by no means perfect, of course, and some of the warts are starting to pop up recently. The most number of complaints seem to revolve around Google's first in-screen fingerprint scanner implementation, but there was also some confusion about the phones' charging speeds. Google is now coming clean on how fast the phones really charge and, unfortunately, it's as bad as some feared it would be.

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When it comes to EVs, every automotive manufacturer wants to build one with the longest driving range possible. The decision tree for which electric vehicle to purchase for a shopper often comes down to a mixture of cost and how far it will drive per charge. SES Holdings, a battery manufacturer startup with a significant investment from GM, has shown off a new battery technology that could give future electric vehicles a significantly longer driving range.

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Ask the average person whether they'd be open to switching from a gasoline-powered to an all-electric vehicle and the responses are likely to revolve around the topics of charging and range anxiety. What happens if you run low on power without a nearby charging station? ZipCharge addresses that concern with a new power bank product made specifically for EVs.

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