laptop battery news

The upcoming June release of Sony’s new active shutter 3D glasses will bring answers to a lot of the questions surrounding Sony’s 3D strategy. While it will take some time after the initial release to get helpful information on the type of viewing experience the glasses will provide, Sony has already started shedding some light on the details that will accompany their battery-powered glasses.

Come sometime this June, the TDG-BR100 and TDG-BR50 active shutter 3D glasses will be available to purchase in Japan for roughly $133. According to SonyInsider, the glasses will feature a battery that allows for 100 hours of use. The glasses are only in use when they receive the 3D sync signal from the TV, otherwise they go into standby mode with no drain on the battery.

To see how they work and why Sony believes the 3D glasses will greatly enhance the viewing experience, click here-

The heavy push widespread adoption of electric vehicles has created a gold-rush of sorts. For a variety of potential benefits that range from reducing greenhouse gas emissions to reducing dependency on foreign oil, governments worldwide have put up billions of dollars for the development of battery-powered vehicles. With battery technology becoming just as, if not more vital to this movement than anything else, existing manufacturers and a whole host of hopeful entrepreneurs have set out reap the rewards. Currently, there are approximately 60 EV lithium-ion battery makers worldwide. As with all bubbles, however, this too will eventually burst in some shape or form. What might the burst of the ‘Batteries for Electric Vehicles’ bubble look like?

According to a report from the German consulting firm Roland Berger, only six or seven of those 60 lithium-ion battery makers will survive the decade. “Manufacturers of lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries currently enjoy a great amount of hype, but massive consolidation is expected to come in the next 5 to 7 years,” says Wolfgang Bernhart, Partner with Roland Berger. “Therefore, only six to eight global battery manufacturers will survive in the next five to seven years,” states Bernhart.

While some say the damage caused by this could easily be as bad as the 2001 tech bubble, the manufacturers that make it through this consolidation period will be in a good position for success. “Unfavorable factors are piling up,” Bernhart continued, “but managed correctly, electrified powertrains will still be a profitable market in the future.”

For these and other key points of information from the Roland Berger report, click here-

-The share of electrified powertrains will increase in all major automotive markets
-Battery costs will decrease significantly in the next 10 years
-Significant overcapacity expected between 2014 and 2017, especially in the US and in Japan
-Only six to eight global battery manufacturers out of approximately 60 will survive the next five to seven years

11 high schools in Ontario, Canada are doing their part to minimize the damage being done to the environment by dead batteries being discarded in landfills. With a mission to raise awareness in their area about household hazardous waste and the effects it can have on all of us, the schools are holding a competition between them to see who can collect the most dead batteries. The event is held each year by Nipissing Environmental Watch and the Greater Nipissing Stewardship Council.

The objective of the Used Household Battery Collection Competition, which runs until May 28, is to see which school can divert the most “AA, AAA, C, D, six-volt, nine-volt and button batteries found in watches and hearing aids, as well as non-rechargeable batteries” from ending up in landfills. While battery manufacturers as a whole are working to produce a larger selection of eco-friendly batteries, many of the batteries being thrown out today can still be detrimental to the earth. TD Friends of the Environment Foundation funds the competition, offering prizes for the school that collects the most batteries overall, and the same amount for the school that collects the most per student.

Imagine what could happen if high schools all around the world took action similar to this…..

Here are the 11 schools taking part in the Used Household Battery Collection Competition. Congratulations and keep up the good work!

-Algonquin, Chippewa, Odyssee, St. Joseph-Scollard Hall, West Ferris and Widdifield high schools in North Bay, Almaguin Highlands in South River, F. J. McElligott in Mattawa, Franco-Cite and Northern in Sturgeon Falls and Nbisiing on the Nipissing First Nation-

The world’s largest airplane manufacturer has recently placed a multi-million dollar order with Saft Batteries. The hefty contract from Boeing calls on Saft to deliver high-performance lithium-ion batteries for the first order for Boeing’s 702B series satellite, a medium-level power satellite with six to 12kW of on-board power. The order is the first under Saft’s five-year long-term agreement with Boeing, announced last year.

“Saft is pleased to begin filling the first order against this major contract with Boeing,” said Thomas Alcide, General Manager of Saft’s Specialty Battery Group. “This is our second order from Boeing for a Li-ion satellite using Saft VES140 cells, and we look forward to supporting additional programs during the next five years.”

The VES140 batteries from Saft will power four geostationary satellites for Intelsat S.A., the world’s leading provider of fixed satellite services, that will offer C- and Ku-band capacity optimized to distribute video, network and voice services from Asia and Africa to the Americas and Europe.

Saft’s VES140 batteries are touted for being light in weight and long-lasting, providing as much as 18 years of battery life.

Over the past few decades, lithium batteries as a whole have emerged as the preferred and most promising types of batteries throughout the world. However within the lithium battery “family”, there are a variety of different chemistries. The most commonly used?

Of the various lithium battery chemistries available, Lithium Manganese Dioxide is far and away the most commonly used. This stems from a long list of significant benefits and advantages featured by lithium manganese dioxide batteries, benefits and advantages that have seen this chemistry encompass nearly 80% of the entire lithium battery market.

While they’re most often found in the form of cylindrical and button cell batteries, lithium manganese dioxide batteries are also made in a number of different shapes and sizes. Once manufactured, the stability of lithium manganese dioxide allows the batteries to be stored safely for years with little to no effect on their performance. The materials the cells are made of, an inexpensive combination of metallic lithium with the inorganic compound manganese dioxide, create a battery with high energy density and capable of delivering high pulse currents. These attributes are what allow lithium manganese dioxide batteries to be produced in smaller sizes and lighter weights, and are also why they’re the ideal battery for so many different applications.

Lithium manganese dioxide batteries are also highly touted for their wide temperature range, especially for their ability to perform at a high levels in extremely cold temperatures. So from outdoor devices used for camping and weather reporting to portable consumer electronic devices such as MP3 players, digital cameras, power tools and so many more; the benefits and advantages possessed by lithium manganese dioxide batteries makes them extremely attractive and beneficial to manufacturers, vendors, and consumers alike.

The Battery Times heavily preaches the importance of keeping batteries out of landfills, however this isn’t exactly what we had in mind…

A pair of men from Salisbury, North Carolina were arrested on Monday for allegedly stealing batteries from machinery at the county landfill. Following the theft, the duo then took the batteries (each fully-charged and functioning) and sold them for “junk”. Both men are now staring down 15 felony charges a piece, and each of the battery-bandits are being held under $25,000 bonds.

“Early Monday, county employees discovered the break in and thefts at the landfill at 789 Campbell Road in Woodleaf and notified the Rowan County Sheriff’s Office. Capt. John Sifford said the intruders had cut a lock off a storage building, but didn’t take anything. They also used heavy duty cutters to cut cables and take batteries from trucks and grading equipment. The batteries are valued at up to $320 each. Damage to the equipment was estimated at $1,035.” Salisbury Post

We still encourage everyone to do their part when it comes to keeping batteries out of landfills. Just be sure you’re not breaking the law in the process.

As a continued sign of dedication to the development of lithium ion batteries from both the state and federal governments, California’s Envia Systems Inc. was recently awarded $5 million in grant money from the California Energy Commission ($1 mil.) and the U.S. Department of Energy’s ($4 mil.). The grants are designated for Envia’s development strategy focused on producing battery technology that will enable more fuel efficient vehicles. In particular, Envia’s “high energy density, low cost next generation Lithium-ion batteries“.

“We are very pleased to receive grants from the Department of Energy and California Energy Commission as it reinforces the strength and importance of Envia’s technology,” said Subhash Dhar, Chairman and CEO of Envia Systems Inc. “Just as these grants were created to drive advancements in energy that will transform the global landscape, Envia’s breakthrough battery systems will revolutionize the highest-density energy Lithium-ion storage technology. These awards will help to dramatically accelerate our development and time to market.”

Envia uses unique nano silicon-carbon composite anodes and high capacity manganese composite cathodes to create batteries with energy density triple that of existing electric vehicle batteries. Envia recently received an R&D 100 Award for developing a PHEV battery with the highest energy density.

On the federal side of the grant, Envia was one of 37 companies selected from a total of 3600 applicants.

Over the past few decades, lithium batteries as a whole have emerged as the preferred and most promising types of batteries throughout the world. However within the lithium battery “family”, there are a variety of different chemistries. The most commonly used?

Of the various lithium battery chemistries available, Lithium Manganese Dioxide is far and away the most commonly used. This stems from a long list of significant benefits and advantages featured by lithium manganese dioxide batteries, benefits and advantages that have seen this chemistry encompass nearly 80% of the entire lithium battery market.

While they’re most often found in the form of cylindrical and button cell batteries, lithium manganese dioxide batteries are also made in a number of different shapes and sizes. Once manufactured, the stability of lithium manganese dioxide allows the batteries to be stored safely for years with little to no effect on their performance. The materials the cells are made of, an inexpensive combination of metallic lithium with the inorganic compound manganese dioxide, create a battery with high energy density and capable of delivering high pulse currents. These attributes are what allow lithium manganese dioxide batteries to be produced in smaller sizes and lighter weights, and are also why they’re the ideal battery for so many different applications.

Lithium manganese dioxide batteries are also highly touted for their wide temperature range, especially for their ability to perform at a high levels in extremely cold temperatures. So from outdoor devices used for camping and weather reporting to portable consumer electronic devices such as MP3 players, digital cameras, power tools and so many more; the benefits and advantages possessed by lithium manganese dioxide batteries makes them extremely attractive and beneficial to manufacturers, vendors, and consumers alike.

The world’s largest airplane manufacturer has recently placed a multi-million dollar order with Saft Batteries. The hefty contract from Boeing calls on Saft to deliver high-performance lithium-ion batteries for the first order for Boeing’s 702B series satellite, a medium-level power satellite with six to 12kW of on-board power. The order is the first under Saft’s five-year long-term agreement with Boeing, announced last year.

“Saft is pleased to begin filling the first order against this major contract with Boeing,” said Thomas Alcide, General Manager of Saft’s Specialty Battery Group. “This is our second order from Boeing for a Li-ion satellite using Saft VES140 cells, and we look forward to supporting additional programs during the next five years.”

The VES140 batteries from Saft will power four geostationary satellites for Intelsat S.A., the world’s leading provider of fixed satellite services, that will offer C- and Ku-band capacity optimized to distribute video, network and voice services from Asia and Africa to the Americas and Europe.

Saft’s VES140 batteries are touted for being light in weight and long-lasting, providing as much as 18 years of battery life.

“Annually, every UK household disposes of an average of 21 batteries as part of its general waste, but at present there are very few kerbside collection schemes planned for end-of-life batteries,” continued Armitage. “This means consumers will have to drive the recycling effort by taking their old batteries to dedicated collection points in retail outlets or municipal sites. Not only is this problematic in itself, if householders don’t even know about the directive and the responsibility they have acquired overnight, then the whole recycling effort will fall down from the outset.” Vince Armitage, Divisional Vice President at Varta Consumer Batteries

Beneficial as its results would be, a newly enacted law making the recycling of batteries mandatory across the United Kingdom may not be being properly executed. This, according to the Vice President of the U.K. battery manufacturer Varta, will leave the ambitious directive dead in the water before fully getting the opportunity to take flight.

“As a manufacturer, we welcome the introduction of the Batteries Directive,” said Vince Armitage. “However, we have concerns about how it’s going to work in practice. The directive places the responsibility of meeting its stringent collection and recycling targets on the manufacturer, but it relies on the cooperation of consumers and retailers to make it work. However, a lack of promotion means that awareness of the directive amongst these key groups is low. This gives us great concern that, as a nation, we are setting ourselves up to fail before we even begin.”

Armitage wasn’t without solutions however, as he pointed to some very simple changes that could be made for the directive to have the intended result.

“To stand a chance of succeeding, the directive needs uniformity. At present this isn’t the case. Even the colours of the collection bins differ from compliance scheme to compliance scheme,” continued Armitage. “It sounds like a simple thing but this will further confuse the consumer which in turn will reduce the amount of batteries kept out of landfill. Granted, we have a long way to catch-up with countries like Belgium who are already recycling 59 per cent of their batteries waste but if we get the foundations right, then the targets laid out in the directive will be easily achieved,” he concluded.

The law is part of an overall initiative targeting a goal to collect 45% of batteries for recycling by the year 2016. Currently the U.K. collects less than 3% of waste batteries, which is one of the lowest rates in Europe.

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