It’s what drill-wielding DIYers have craved for
ages: More power! And a new line of teeth-rattling 36-volt cordless
saws, rotary hammers, and drills from DeWalt, a division of Black &
Decker, finally delivers.

The potent black-and-yellow beasts have twice
the power of standard 18-volt tools and run for twice as long per
charge. How? Each packs the M1 battery, a hand grenade of electrons
that promises to transform mobile power.

The M1, based on the same lithium-ion technology used in your cell
phone and laptop, is the first product from MIT spinoff A123 Systems.
Cofounder Yet-Ming Chiang, a materials science professor, succeeded in
shrinking to nanoscale the particles that coat the battery’s electrodes
and store and discharge energy. The results are electrifying: Power
density doubles, peak energy jumps fivefold (the cells pack more punch
than a standard 110-volt wall outlet), and recharging time plummets.
Going nano also solves a safety problem. Regular high-capacity Li-ion
batteries tend to explode under severe stress, like if they’re dropped
from a ladder.

The rechargeable battery industry, dominated by Asian giants like
Sanyo, Sony, and Toshiba, is worth more than $6 billion a year.

By Spencer Reiss
Wired News