Hewlett-Packard is now offering new "green" Enviro series batteries for its notebooks, which utilize improved lithium-ion battery technology by Boston-Power Inc. that extends battery lifetime to at least three years, and that cuts recharge times nearly in half.
One of the more popular complaints involving notebooks relate to battery lifespan, especially for heavy use notebooks which see frequent charging and discharging, and exposure to heat. In an effort to improve the functionality of mobile devices, battery technology evolved from nickle metal hydride and nickle-cadmium based designs to lithium-ion, however drawbacks remained. Lithium-ion based batteries still suffered from permanent capacity loss, and troubles with heat.
Graphics and CPU manufacturers have offered mobile based chipsets to help alleviate the drawbacks of portable computing and their need for frequent battery recharges, but despite that, battery technology has continued to struggle to keep up with the demands of consumers and the needs of constantly evolving processing technology.
Fortunately, companies like Boston-Power Inc. are amongst the ones at the forefront of efforts to improve lithium-ion battery technology. In the partnership with Hewlett-Packard, a number of HP notebooks now have the ability to replace current battery solutions with the Enviro series.
According to the Boston-Power information page, HP's Enviro series are made using Boston-Power's Sonata battery design, which boasts numerous improvements to lithium-ion technology. Amongst the improvements are nearly halved recharge times, retained capacity for the life of most notebooks (three years), more per-charge battery life compared to most six cell designs, and improvements on safety.
The Enviro series batteries may now be purchased directly at the HP website for select models at a price of $149.99 each, and will soon be offered as an option on new laptop orders in the coming weeks.
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eddieroolz I suppose that if it reduces the number that goes the landfill by making one last longer, then it's greener than the current ones.Reply -
lexspecialis I think the "green" that they were talking is about the efficiency and lifespan of the battery.Reply
If that battery can deliver results as promised above, well i'm all for it. Mass produce it so it would bring costs down. -
I still have my 12 cell laptop bought 3 years ago, and it's running strong (I can account for 0 lithium batteries I've put in a landfill). I would buy these batteries though. Half recharge time is a big improvement IMHO (though my laptop power supply would get exceedingly hot/I would need a higher capacity supply). I wish public education included a class about modern technology, such as recycling batteries and other things. I think people would make better choices about the environment and life in general if they knew how.Reply
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Does anyone know how they achieved this result ?Reply
When I see a producer making such claims without any detail or explanation I become very suspicious