NEW YORK-Electric Fuel Corp. completed a prototype zinc-air disposable battery it said is lighter and delivers more talk and standby time than comparable rechargeable batteries.
Developed by the company’s Consumer Battery Division, the new disposable has demonstrated in laboratory tests the ability to provide more than six hours of talk time and up to 60 hours of standby time for analog cellular phones. It offers as much as 15 hours of talk time and 200 hours of standby time for digital wireless handsets.
“This represents three-to-four times more talk and standby time than currently available from comparable rechargeable batteries,”said Electric Power.
The new zinc-air cell phone battery weighs 20 percent to 40 percent less than competing rechargeables, and it will have a two-year shelf life.
“The materials in [our] zinc-air battery are environmentally friendly, recyclable and are similar to those used in common alkaline batteries,” the company said.
“The batteries do not contain volatile or toxic materials, [like] lithium or cadmium, found in many batteries used today.”
Electric Fuel is developing a pilot production line to manufacture the zinc-air batteries at its plant in Bet Shemesh, Israel. The company plans to begin consumer tests of the batteries early next year and to market them commercially by the summer of 1999.
Once in full production, the batteries likely will retail for $7 to $10 each, depending on the phone model they are designed for, Electric Power said. The prototypes it has developed fit the most popular wireless handsets, which are made by Motorola Inc., Nokia Corp. and Ericsson Inc.
“Our battery will provide the same convenience for the cell phone that `AA’ batteries have given the Walkman and pagers for years,” said Yehuda Harats, president and chief executive officer of Electric Fuel.
“Business travelers and `power-users’ are the primary market for this stronger, lighter disposable battery. However, anyone who has had their cell phone die at the wrong time will appreciate the ability to pick up a fully charged, ready-to-go spare for less than $10.”
The publicly traded Electric Fuel, which is headquartered in New York, has manufacturing and research facilities in Israel and Auburn, Ala. The company calls itself a pioneer in the use of zinc-air battery technology for electric vehicles, consumer electronics and industrial applications.
