Internet search giant Google has now joined many other leading market players in the quest for batteries that promise superlative performance. The company, which is firmly foraying into the consumer electronics and specialized hardware section, has a comprehensive program for developing better batteries.
In fact, the company had already begun taking steps in this direction way back in 2012, when it appointed a specialized team headed by Ramesh Bhardwaj, a battery expert who was earlier with Apple. The team primarily worked on testing batteries manufactured by other companies and the compatibility of these batteries with Google’s own devices. However, about a year down the line, the company decided that it was it was perhaps time to develop its own battery technologies.
The group that is currently working on developing batteries for Google is a small one (four members), and works under the aegis of the Google X research lab.
In recent years, Google has gradually expanded its footprint in industries such as robotics, transportation, communications, healthcare, and so on through physical devices that need efficient batteries to run successfully. In 2013, Google’s chief executive Larry Page had told analysts that there was a pressing need to develop batteries with a long life for mobile devices. This, according to Page, is where a massive potential lies when it comes to offering better experiences to consumers.
Bhardwaj, during previous interactions with industry executives, had said that Google was currently running at least 20 projects that need superior battery technology. The most prominent among these are Google’s self-driving cars that run on rechargeable batteries.
In fact, analysts observe that Google has also learnt from its failures, when in the past, its first version of Google Glass was plagued with short battery life. The company is now working on improving the same.
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