Former Carleton chemistry student Tim Sherstyuk was facing a problem thousands of students tackle every day—electronics with poor battery life. He decided he wanted to finally do something about it.
At 19, Sherstyuk and his father co-founded SmartG, a battery management system that can significantly increase the battery life of everyday electronics.
Their website states they “haven’t invented a new battery.”
Instead, the company developed a new way of “controlling energy inside of existing lithium-ion batteries, which enables them to hold more capacity and not degrade over time.”
Sherstyuk said the new system can be used for the types of batteries commonly found in electronics such as cellphones, laptops, and electric cars.
The idea was inspired by a frustration of current lithium-ion batteries and a love of father-son projects, according to Sherstyuk.
“We always did tech stuff together and work on little projects. At one point, we were talking about batteries,” he said.
Sherstyuk said the battery management system manages the battery pack and significantly slows down the degrading process.
The website explains that lithium-ion batteries get charged and discharged through a constant stream of energy, usually without any attention given to internal or external circumstances. This ends up causing the battery to not fully utilize its active materials and to degrade over time.
Sherstyuk said the battery system increases the capacity of the battery itself. Depending on the chemistry, the battery management system can increase the capacity of batteries by about 10 to 40 per cent.
This means the battery lasts longer before needing a charge. The battery operating system increases the overall life expectancy of a battery. They can last up to four times longer than lithium-ion batteries currently do, according to Sherstyuk.
Sherstyuk, now 20, has left Carleton and moved to California with his father to expand their business.
“We are working on deals right now, some of which are start-up businesses but also some bigger companies as well,” he said.
