InVested Energy

To
the consternation of some of the smartest engineers on the planet, as
well as billions of electronic consumers the world over,
battery technology has not been advancing nearly as rapidly as the development
of faster, more powerful devices.

The latest issue of MacAddict contained a review of something called
the "Solar
SeV Finetex Shell," which seems to be a $474 high-tech jacket,
with 30 dedicated pockets for everything from your hand warmers to a
light saber.  However,
the main distinguishing features are the solar panels on the back and
the built-in battery which can be used to recharge all of the marvelous
devices you have stored in the various pockets. In theory.

The drawbacks, unfortunately, are equally impressive. The stored energy is
available only via USB, meaning only devices which can charge up via
their USB connections can by recharged. This means no iPods, a deal breaker
in itself.  It also eliminates most digital cameras. In  addition,
the battery takes 3 to 4 hours in direct sunlight to charge up via the solar panels (detachable,
at least) and this is the ONLY way to charge it up. Finally, fully charging
a device from the battery can take three to five hours.

As usual, the egregious shortcomings set our mind to work thinking of
what a product like this COULD offer.  Battery technology being
what it is, having an effective 48-72 hour portable energy supply means
carrying around 8-12 pounds of extra weight.  What better way to
easily and comfortably distribute that weight than weave it into a stylish
outerwear garment, like this jacket, or better yet a Matrixian leather
trench coat. 6 or 8 individual cells could be distributed throughout
the fabric and connected in a smart storage and discharge system.

Now,
in order to be practical, the built-in battery needs to be rechargeable
via multiple modes. Solar power is groovy, but impractical in the real
world unless you are hiking the Andes during the dry season or crossing
the Kalahari. At the very least, the jack needs to be rechargeable via
wall socket (85-225 volts) and cigarette lighters. We have tons of unmetered
and unused energy in our environment – let’s use it!

On the output side, it shouldn’t be too hard to at least add Firewire
charging, which would include ‘Pods and cameras. Stain resistant and
waterproof would be nice.

Veering more into sci-fi territory an anti-theft instantaneous total discharge would be fun but probably unduly dangerous given the possibility of self-shocking.

How much would people pay for technicolor coat like this? If it had
the features we mentioned and could really keep all our devices running
for a day or two, quite a bit. Any high-tech haberdashers out there?

Solar SeV homepage