The Lithium-Ion Battery
Unchaining computation from the wall.
Sony and Asahi Kasei released the first commercial lithium-ion battery. This chemistry provided a massive leap in energy density and rechargeability without the "memory effect" of older nickel-cadmium batteries.
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- The invention of the lithium-ion battery directly enabled the modern mobile era. Without it, laptops, smartphones, and electric vehicles would be physically impossible due to weight constraints.
- In 1991, early Li-ion cells cost an astronomical $9,200 per kilowatt-hour (kWh).
- The inventors of the lithium-ion battery (Goodenough, Whittingham, and Yoshino) were jointly awarded the 2019 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
Frequently Asked Questions
What was The Lithium-Ion Battery?
Sony and Asahi Kasei released the first commercial lithium-ion battery. This chemistry provided a massive leap in energy density and rechargeability without the "memory effect" of older nickel-cadmium batteries.
When did The Lithium-Ion Battery happen?
The Lithium-Ion Battery: 1991 CE.
Why does The Lithium-Ion Battery matter?
Unchaining computation from the wall.
Sources & Further Reading
Cite This Page
AskHistoryAI. “The Lithium-Ion Battery.” AskHistoryAI — Interactive Timeline of Everything. Updated 2026-09-11. https://askhistoryai.com/event/tech-li-ion/
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