RechargeableBatteries
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Department of Justice probe eyes Sony's rechargeable battery business
After the headache-inducing bout of hacking woes that beset the corporation in recent weeks, a new Department of Justice-led investigation into Sony's US electronics division may have the company emptying that aspirin bottle. Details of the inquiry are scarce at the moment, but with the company's cooperation confirmed, all signs lead to an alleged price fixing of its rechargeable battery business. Citing data from a Tokyo-based research firm, a Bloomberg report indicates that a 2010 market surplus had Sony Electronics (amongst others) lowering battery prices at the expense of less financially-cushioned players. The notorious sector of the multinational's operations has been in the hot seat before -- namely, for actual laptop explosions -- but this time 'round the judicial maypole, it seems the Japanese giant may have been partaking in some anti-competitive shenanigans. If the DoJ hammer does happen to fall on Sony's already bowed head, the company could be facing a very expensive slap on the wrist and a fundamental change to its business practices. Luckily for Sony, we happen to believe in a little something called "innocent until proven guilty."
SEI creates new porous Aluminum-Celmet, makes rechargeable batteries last longer
Quick: What costs hundreds of dollars and dies after four hours? If your answer included anything portable and tech-based -- you guessed right. In fact, most of our magical and exciting gadgetry has less-than-stellar means of holding a charge, but a recent breakthrough by Sumitomo Electric Industries could change all that. Employing the same process used to create Celmet (a NiMH component), researchers at the R&D company managed to coax aluminum into being a bit more receptive. The resulting Aluminum-Celmet has a whopping 98 percent porosity rate, leaving the Li-ion gate wide-open for a flood of electrical juice. And unlike its nickel-based brother, this piece de porous non-resistance has a steep corrosive threshold that could soon help power a line of high-capacity, small form rechargeable batteries. Production is already underway at Osaka Works, with SEI hoping to speed adoption of these franken-batts into our mass consuming mitts. Technical-jargony PR release after the break.
Sanyo: we've shipped more than 150 million Eneloop rechargeable batteries
Sanyo has announced that as of the end of 2010, it had officially shipped more than 150 million rechargeable Eneloop batteries. The company now ships the batteries -- which can be recharged up to 1,500 times -- to more than 60 countries. We reviewed Sanyo's rechargeable offering alongside another battery a few months back, which you can check out if you'd like. Other than that: the full press release is after the break.
AA rechargeable battery shootout: Energizer, PowerGenix and Sanyo Eneloop
If there's one thing that has become abundantly clear to us these past few months, it's that there's really no excuse to not invest in at least one set of rechargeable batteries if you find yourself chewing through more than a few on a regular basis. If you're an avid user of Apple's power-hungry Magic Mouse, Nintendo's oh-so-demanding Wii remote or one of the many professional camera flashes on the market, chances are you've considered buying stock in Duracell or Energizer based on how often you find yourself in the battery aisle. Quite a few devices have moved to proprietary rechargeables -- many of which can be rejuvenated over USB -- but for everything else, it's typically AA or bust. We tested out PowerGenix's NiZn cells late last year, and it wasn't long before we found ourselves in possession of two alternatives from Energizer and Sanyo. Care to see how all three of these stacked up against one another and those traditional non-rechargeables? Read on for more. %Gallery-92885%
Hitachi claims secret chemical formula will improve battery cathodes, double longevity
Before lithium-ion batteries, portable gadgets were a nightmare, forcing road warriors and Discman-toting teens to either swap disposable cells or deal with rechargables that (with few exceptions) were tricky to recharge. Of course, Li-ion batteries also have a downside: as laptop and cell phone users have no doubt found out, they too become disposable before long. One reason why is that acid in the electrolyte can corrode the cathode material -- and now, Hitachi claims it's found a way to strengthen its own. Using an undisclosed combination of elements to replace some of the manganese used in the company's cathodes, Hitachi claims they can strengthen their crystalline configuration to resist acid, reduce cost, and best of all, double the usable life of a lithium-ion cell to about ten years. We've heard similar claims before, of course, with other battery manufacturers promising us twenty years, but it looks like this technology might make it out of the lab. NEDO, a Japanese government organization, has commissioned Hitachi to bring these batteries to life for industrial applications like wind farms. Cell phones, sadly, will have to wait.
EcoloCap claims nanotube-infused Lithium-X battery has 99 percent efficiency, fuels our long-range EV dreams
The more we hear about the next generation of rechargeable batteries, the more nanotechnology seems integral to the case, as scientists work to improve the capacity of electrodes in the popular Lithium-ion chemical battery structure. Silicon nanowires are an exciting future possibility, and one current solution uses nano-structures made of iron phosphate. But the firm we're highlighting today, EcoloCap, has decided to revisit our versatile friend: the carbon nanotube. The company has just spread the word that its Nano Lithium X battery can generate a minimum of 200 amp-hours with a single cell (a Tesla requires 6,831 cells) at half the cost of a traditional Li-ion and with greater than 99 percent efficiency. Truth be told, we don't know if the tech actually exists, and we'd never even heard of the company before today -- but if this solution does materialize with the voltage to match its longevity, it'll bring a badly needed eco-boost of competition to a market with far too few players.
Sanyo Eneloop lite Ni-MH rechargeable batteries are cheap, less filling
If you're a gadget fan (and let's face it: you are) then there's simply no excuse for using disposable batteries. Environmental concerns aside, rechargeables have advanced such that it just makes economic sense to switch. We've been unapologetic fans of Sanyo's Eneloop series of Ni-MH batteries for years. Hell, we like any modern rechargeable that's sold fully charged and is capable of maintaining that state even after years inside the family junk drawer. Today, Sanyo is announcing its Eneloop lite series scheduled for a June 22nd launch in Japan with a global release set for sometime later. These cells are meant to tempt you by their relatively low, up-front purchase price of ¥780 (about $8.64) for a pair of 1.2V 950mAh AAs or ¥640 ($7.09) for a pair of 1.2V 550mAh AAAs -- each capable of about 2,000 recharges saving you at least $1,000 over their lifetime. They're not going to power your hotshoe flash but they will handle the relatively low to medium power requirements of all the remote controls in your life. Do it.
Wii gets rechargeable battery packs with Sanyo's Eneloop
If all the extra accessories aren't making your Wii collection a mess, all the AA batteries you've thrown out have at least caused a lump in a landfill. To help out in the battery department, Sanyo has come up with the Eneloop charging station complete with a battery pack replacement pack for your Wii remote and a charging base that can support as many as four controllers at once. Remotes charge in a respectable 220 minutes and Eneloop will even charge sequentially so you don't have to wait an extra couple hours for your next Smash Bros fix. Available for $73 as an import item, but we wouldn't be surprised if this showed up on our shores for powerless gamers this fall.UPDATE: Confused about why this is important? The new recharger uses a contact-free electromagnetic system so you don't need to remove your battery pack. Oh - it's also the first Nintendo-licensed recharger.[Via Akihabara News]
Rechargeable USB battery works in AA-ready devices
While one may assume that the above device is simply a USB flash drive in disguise, it's actually quite a bit more useful than that. You see, this rechargeable USB battery (á la the USBCELL) actually fits into any device that readily accepts AA cells, making it quite possibly the most 1337 (not to mention affordable) rechargeable cell we've ever seen. Reportedly, it takes around four hours to juice one up, and while we've no idea how many channels you can flip through on a set of these bad boys, at least they're sold in pairs. Pick up a pack (or two, or three) now for $7.51/set.[Thanks, Erie]
