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Next Gen Oxyride Batteries Coming Soon
marksilverman writes "The New York Times is reporting that Panasonic will start selling (Biometric scan required to prove your value as a human being) next generation Oxyride batteries soon. They last twice as long as premium alkaline batteries, they deliver more power, and they're cheaper. They're already popular in Japan. The downside? They have a shorter life in a "rundown test" where you put the batteries in and leave the power on until they're drained. In real-world scenarios (like how many digital pictures you can take) they do really well."
Oxyride Car
Oxyride Test
CC.
TaijiQuan (Huang, 5 loosenings)
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Done with the help of the NYT Link generator.
There is another kind of evil which we must fear most, and that is the indifference of good men. -- Boondock Saints
Did you read just a little further down? The article mentions that these batteries put out 1.7V vs. 1.5V for a regular alkaline.
NiMH batteries don't have a charge memory; you're thinking of NiCads. Plus, the best NiMH batteries store almost as much energy as alkalines, and in AA format they're not too expensive due to volume and competition.
Li-ion, on the other hand, is a very expensive format due to the need for internal circuitry to protect the battery, and as a result it doesn't come in the standard sizes, which can guarantee a high cost as each manufacturer can rip you off for their own format...
For many many applications, NiMH is by far the best way to go.
Disclaimer: IANAL. This post is, however, legal advice, and creates an attorney-client relationship.
Note the image of the batteries says "50% longer lasting" but the journalist says "twice as long". His digital camera test actually confirms the 50% longer, for 844/566 = 1.49.
Where are the heavy metals? I see graphite (carbon) manganese dioxide and nickel compounds in a steel case(iron). Mn, Fe and Ni are first row transition metals. There are no heavy metals used at all. These things are pretty innocuous considering most other battery chemistries (Pb-H2SO4, NiCd, Hg cell, etc.)
- "Hear that?! The percolations are imminent! Cease your ingress!"
Ok, so let's take a look at those claims:
(A) quicker shooting for your digital photos
--> Well, no. Your digital camera's CCD and processor don't run any quicker on a high battery charge than on a low one.
(B) faster flash recovery
--> Actually, yes, this will; the more current the battery can deliver, the quicker the capacitors will charge up.
(C) faster battery powered toys
--> Depends on how the toy works. If it's an unregulated device that just pulls current directly, sure - but you could get the same results just hot-wiring an extra AA into the circuit.
True story: I used to have an old R/C car that ran on 8 AA batteries. I "fixed" that by hacking into the wiring and adding batteries to the circuit with a separate, modular battery bay from an electronics kit my parents gave me a few years earlier. I took it all the way up to 16 batteries total; at that point, it worked for about 1/2 hour and gave me great speed until something in the control board decided it had had enough.
If on the other hand it uses any sort of a voltage or current regulation system, no, it won't move any faster.
(D) brighter flashlights
Well, sure. See the above on devices that pull what essentially is unregulated current, relying only on the natural resistance of the device to keep it at a reasonable pace. I=V/R; Put in more Volts, even marginally, get more Amps and thus a brighter bulb. Whether it's enough to be really noticeable... well, you can tell the difference between a new and used battery, so sure, I'll assume that you can.
Of course, you'll also cause the bulb to burn out quicker.