Quantum batteries could charge much faster than standard devices pinkeyes/Shutterstock An experimental but fully functioning quantum battery system may have helped nudge the technology a small step closer to real-world applications. The quantum devices can charge and discharge a little like standard batteries, but the process gets faster as you make the quantum battery larger. Batteries that work by harnessing quantum effects instead of chemical reactions, known as quantum batteries, have many theoretically exciting properties, such as fast charging and discharging. But no one has managed to build a working quantum battery system – until now.