This is an invention that may well be a huge revolution. Chinese society Betavolt just gave a tiny battery with very high performance.

His specialty? It is similar to a nuclear battery capable of providing ” energy for almost 50 years“. Just!

But will we have the opportunity to see a mini nuclear power plant stuck on the floor of our cars one day? This startup believes in it forever.

Life expectancy of 50 years?

The battery area is one of the most notable areas of improvement yet to be achieved. Today, the best range of electric vehicles is achieved earlier Mercedes EQS 450+. According to our measurements AutoPlus Laboratory, luxury German sedan (sold in 135,849.98 euros) does not exceed 500 km real on the highway, stabilized at 110 km/h.

Of course, we are still at the beginning of the electrification of the car fleet, but such autonomy on such an expensive model makes us smile.

Thanks to the invention of this Chinese startup, things may change faster than expected. Betavolt New Energy Technology announced on January 8 that it had successfully developed a nuclear battery smaller than a coin. According to the company, this battery named after BV100 can power the device for fifty years.

His power 100 microwatts, its voltage is 3 volts and its volume is 15 x 15 x 5 cubic millimetersor “smaller than a coin“, – assures Zhang Wei, president and CEO of the startup, in a press release.

A nuclear battery, right?

The Chinese company uses a combination of radioactive isotopes nickel-63 (⁶³Ni) and the 4th generation diamond semiconductor. This radioactive metal reacts, releasing electrically charged isotopes that are held by two ultra-thin diamond semiconductor sheets just two microns thick. These same semiconductors are then responsible for converting the charge of the isotopes into electricity.

This is the first true nuclear battery in history. For now, this is just the first step, and next year a second prototype, larger and capable of delivering up to 1W of power, could be ready.

A concept that is not without doubts

Unfortunately for the general public, nuclear energy is more associated with harmful disasters than with technical achievements.

And it would be legitimate for future users to be skeptical about the safety of such a battery. The company Betavolt claims that the isotopes of nickel-63 which are contained in his BV100 battery have a very short lifetime and when this is reached they decay into isotopes copper-63, more stable and durable, emitting only weak beta radiation that will not be harmful to the environment or living things.

The Chinese company also claims that the BV-100 prototype has successfully passed fire, explosion and even firing tests, and that it benefits from a wide range of optimal operating temperatures from 120°C to -60°C.

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