Betavolt BV100 nuclear battery promises 50 years of stable power

A Chinese company called Betavolt has unveiled its nuclear (atomic) battery, claiming that a single charge can deliver 50 years of steady power, with no need for recharging or even maintenance.

This is not science fiction. The technology, aimed at civilian use, has just moved into a pilot phase and is expected to transition shortly into mass production and commercial availability.

Betavolt is positioning its new battery for aerospace and medical equipment, as well as for AI (Artificial Intelligence) devices, sensors, drones, and other applications.

Smartphones that never need plugging in, or drones capable of continuous flight time, are among the scenarios this atomic battery is said to make possible.

Known as the Betavolt BV100, the first model is no larger than a coin, measuring 15 mm along each side and just 5 mm thick.

It outputs 100 µW (microwatts) at 3 V, and the company says multiple units can be combined in series or in parallel depending on the power requirements of each device. Its continuous energy production is stated as 8.64 J (joules) per day and 3153 J per year.

According to Betavolt, the battery also produces power in a stable way that does not vary with the surrounding environment. In temperature terms, it can keep generating energy continuously from -60 °C to 120 °C without self-discharging.

Because it can generate electricity continuously for half a century, there is no discussion of charge cycles for this physical battery in the way there is for electrochemical batteries. Betavolt’s announcement states that energy density is about 10 times higher than lithium batteries, with around 3300 mAh (milliampere-hours) stored per gram.

Is the nuclear battery safe?

Nuclear energy can understandably raise concerns, but Betavolt pre-empts this by saying the new battery is completely safe-largely due to the materials used in its construction.

The BV100 uses a nickel-63 isotope (⁶³Ni) together with a fourth-generation diamond semiconductor. The nickel-63 isotope serves as the radioactive source, but it decays into a stable copper isotope that is not radioactive and poses no threat or pollution risk to the environment.

The company even claims the BV100 produces no external radiation, meaning it could be used in medical devices such as pacemakers or similar equipment.

Compared with today’s electrochemical batteries, nuclear-powered batteries also have the advantage of not requiring complex recycling processes, which can be very expensive.

To underline safety further, Betavolt goes on to state that the battery will not catch fire or explode if it is punctured.

The BV100 is only Betavolt’s first atomic battery, intended for small devices, but the company says it is already exploring larger solutions, including a 1 W version planned for 2025. It remains to be seen how far the concept can scale in future-could it even reach cars?