Boston-Power FAQs

How can I purchase a Boston-Power battery?

Boston-Power’s Sonata® next-generation lithium-ion cell has been shipping in volume since 2008 and is used in HP’s Long Life (formerly Enviro Series) notebook batteries. There are several ways you can experience the Sonata technology:

If you are an HP notebook owner, purchase HP Long Life Batteries online from HP or BestBuy.
If you are a developer, evaluation cells are available for purchase.

How can I get more life from my notebook?

There are various methods that one can use to conserve notebook power and extend runtime. Some possibilities include:

Configure notebook power management modes to suitable settings
Disable Wi-Fi and Bluetooth if not in use
Limit external devices (USB devices, external mouse, etc.)
Lower the brightness of the screen
Do not run programs from DVD/CD drive. Copy programs to the hard drive which uses less power
Turn off unnecessary programs. Many programs run in the background but are not used 99% of the time, however these do consume power.

How large is Boston-Power?

Boston-Power has approximately 100 direct and 500 indirect employees worldwide, with offices in the United States (HQ), China (Supply Chain), and Taiwan (Sales and Manufacturing).

How is Boston-Power funded?

Boston-Power is a privately-held, venture-backed company founded in January 2005. The company has raised over $125 million in venture financing to date from the industry’s top VCs including Foundation Asset Management, Oak Investment Partners, Venrock, Gabriel Venture Partners, and GGV Capital. Most recently, Boston-Power closed a $55 million funding round in January 2009.

How do Boston-Power cells last for more than 1000 charge/discharge cycles while traditional cylindrical cells demonstrate significant capacity fade after only 300 cycles?

Boston-Power fine tuned the chemical composition and the mechanical design of its lithium-ion technology platform – on which the Sonata and Swing cells are based -- aimed at exacting the science to ensure users receive the same runtime over many charge/discharge cycles. Our customers have confirmed Sonata’s industry leading cycle life at both the single cell and battery pack levels.