Lithium AAAs Really Keep On Going

Feb. 16, 2004

Laying claim to the title of world's longest lasting AAA battery, the e2 series of lithium-based AAAs offers up to 160 more hours of paging messages or 400 more flashes from your camera, according to the Energizer Division of Eveready Battery Co. Energizer introduced the 1.5-V batteries, the first of this size, at last month's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

The lithium cells have a longer shelf life of 15 years, so users can purchase multiyear supplies without worrying about the batteries' age. Also, the cells are about 33% lighter than standard alkaline cells, weighing in at 7.8 g. The e2 lithium AAA cells also operate well in extreme temperatures, from −40°F to 140°F.

The company announced that it has improved its AA-size 1.5-V lithium cells as well, now estimating that the cells last up to seven times longer in digital cameras than non-lithium cells.

Samples of the AAA lithium cells will be available next quarter, with production expected in the second half of this year.

Eveready Battery Co.www.energizer.com

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About the Author

Dave Bursky

Technologist

Dave Bursky, the founder of New Ideas in Communications, a publication website featuring the blog column Chipnastics – the Art and Science of Chip Design. He is also president of PRN Engineering, a technical writing and market consulting company. Prior to these organizations, he spent about a dozen years as a contributing editor to Chip Design magazine. Concurrent with Chip Design, he was also the technical editorial manager at Maxim Integrated Products, and prior to Maxim, Dave spent over 35 years working as an engineer for the U.S. Army Electronics Command and an editor with Electronic Design Magazine.