An inaccurate battery level indicator on phone or laptop may be inconvenient, but running out of juice in an electric vehicle can lead to far more serious circumstances. A new technique developed by researchers at N.C. State University dramatically improves the reliability of battery status reports.

Current battery charge estimates are based on computer models that depend on preset variables that are entered once. NCSU's research team have created software to identify and processes data that can be used to update the computer model in real time.

"This improved accuracy will also give us additional insight into the dynamics of the battery, which we can use to develop techniques that will lead to more efficient battery management," says Dr. Mo-Yuen Chow, a professor of electrical and computer engineering at NC State. "This will not only extend the life of the charge in the battery, but extend the functional life of the battery itself."

The new method is said to estimate remaining a battery's remaining charge within 5 percent.