Rayovac Corp. has designed a new battery which places more charging functions inside the battery itself, cutting the recharge time to an estimated 15 minutes.
The I-C3 technology will first be deployed in AA batteries during mid- to late-2003, according to a spokeswoman for Rayovac, based in Madison, Wisconsin. For now, Rayovac is working with OEMs to design in the batteries into unannounced future devices.
The I-C3 places the pressure control system inside the battery, not the charger, allowing the battery to be recharged faster and at a higher capacity than its competitors, according to the spokeswoman. In one industry-standard ANSI-specified test–snapping a picture using a digital camera–the I-C3 battery allowed the camera to take 138 pictures, about 24 more than its closest competitor, the spokeswoman said.
Dont be surprised to pay a little more for the privilege. “We dont have any official predictions for cost of the battery, although it will probably be a little bit higher (than the price of other batteries),” she said. “On the other hand, since we integrate some of the features of the charger (inside the batteries) the charger itself should be less expensive.”
The battery will require a specific charger; over time, the charger and batteries will be sold together as a system, the spokeswoman said. Rayovac estimates that the I-C3 will be rechargeable up to 1,000 times.
