140 degrees isn't "burning" and 140 degrees is a rather magical temperature zone because a lot of other things happen between 140 and 175 degrees. At 165 degrees, most if not all food borne microbes, bacteria and parasites die and meats are rendered safe for consumption.
At 140 degrees, magnetic tape mylar backing and the oxide that stores the magnetic information become pliable enough that a damaged tape with oxide shedding problems will suddenly play faithfully enough that it can be backed up as a digital copy for preservation.
And in the case of Li-Ion batteries, which I've used as a camera operator ever since they first were invented, 140 degrees is exactly what a lot of "smart chargers" actually do, although they lack the ability to cool the batteries down "quickly" and that is because a camera battery will cool down quickly enough by itself if adequate ventilation is available.
In fact, I have a very small smart charger which charges up individual commercial grade Li-Ion cells eight at a time.
It is a closed door unit, meaning that the cells sit inside the compartment while charging, a computer controlled FAN vents the compartment once the cells reach a certain temperature, unsurprisingly that temperature is about 140 degrees give or take a few.
The fan kicks on and the cells cool rapidly. It is a RAPID CHARGER made by
Tenergy, who also makes the cells I use.
What the techies at Penn State have done is remarkable, but not because it is a new approach.
It's certainly a new approach in AUTOMOTIVE battery pack charge management but it is not entirely new.
I suspect what's new is the idea of
RAPID COOLING, because with a giant car battery pack, that takes much more than just a little fan.
