Sanyo Electric Develops Rechargeable Battery Recharger With Solar Cell

Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd. has developed "eneloop solar charger," a NiMH rechargeable battery charger equipped with a solar cell. It employs three Li-ion rechargeable batteries that can store electricity generated by the solar cell so as to charge NiMH rechargeable batteries. It can charge Sanyo Electric's NiMH rechargeable battery "eneloop" that features low self-discharge. If the Li-ion rechargeable batteries are charged for six days in fine autumn weather, four AA eneloop batteries can be fully charged. According to Sanyo, the time required to charge the NiMH rechargeable battery when the Li-ion rechargeable batteries built in the recharger are fully charged is approximately 150/300 minutes for one to two/three to four AA batteries respectively and 75/150 minutes for one to two/three to four AAA batteries. The recharger uses Sanyo's "HIT solar cell panel."

The NiMH rechargeable battery charger

The product is provided with a USB terminal. Therefore it can not only charge batteries but also supply power via USB cable. The company says that the recharger can operate a USB fed fan for example. The product measures 160 x 180 x 70 mm and weighs about 550 g. It is slated for launch on November 21, 2006 at an expected price of about ¥20,000.

The pocket warmer with a Li-ion rechargeable battery

Sanyo has also developed "eneloop kairo," a pocket warmer equipped with a Li-ion rechargeable battery. When it is connected to a dedicated AC adapter and charged from an AC power source, it can repeatedly be used about 500 times. It takes about five hours to charge the warmer. The product measures 84 x 62 x 19 mm and weighs about 85 g. It is slated for launch on December 1, 2006 at an expected price of about ¥4,000.

Source: EETimes

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