DepotEco Presents PowerGenix High Yeild NiZn 1.6 Volt Rechargeable AA Batteries
DepotEco Introduces PowerGenix AA Nickel-Zinc High Yield Technology Batteries, (IN STOCK NOW!)
Move over Li-ion , Zinc is about to get all up in your area. Energizer has already announced the Zinc Air Prismatic , and now DepotEco will carry the new PowerGenix Nickel-Zinc (NiZn) AA cells. (IN STOCK NOW!)
San Diego-based PowerGenix, developer and manufacturer of nontoxic, high performance NiZn rechargeable technology.
NiZn batteries provide greater power for today’s high drain consumer electronics, enabling superior camera performance compared to existing rechargeable batteries.
Despite rapid innovation in the capabilities of portable electronics, until recently, progress has been slow to develop batteries able to meet the demand of these power-hungry devices. With advanced NiZn performance, the NiZn has been introduced by PowerGenix to fulfill the growing needs of high drain digital cameras and accessories. By delivering a higher voltage than existing rechargeable cells, cameras equipped with NiZn cells benefit from brighter flash, shorter flash recovery time, and more shots per charge.
Earlier this year, PowerGenix’s NiZn technology was certified by the RBRC for collection and recycling, becoming only the fifth rechargeable chemistry recognized by the program. PowerGenix’s NiZn batteries contain no toxic heavy metals such as lead, cadmium or mercury and are the most recyclable rechargeable chemistry on the market.
Nickel and zinc are among the Earth’s most abundant elements, found virtually everywhere in our daily lives. These natural elements are found in the earth, in the food you eat and in a wide variety of products. Both elements are readily recyclable and many products on the market today come from these recycled supplies.
About Nickel
Nickel has many uses from construction materials to food preparation, but its many favorable characteristics make it an excellent choice in the use of high powered rechargeable batteries. For more information on nickel, its many uses and its metallurgical properties, visit the Nickel Institute.
Zinc Facts
Zinc’s unique properties allow it to be used in an array of products from cosmetics, to baby powder, to precision parts for automobiles, airplanes and appliances. The International Zinc Association notes that one of the most useful characteristics of zinc is its resistance to atmospheric corrosion. The ranking of zinc in the electromotive series of metals (an indication of a metal’s tendency to oxidize, or give up electrons) positioned below magnesium and aluminum but above cadmium, iron, nickel and hydrogen, make it an exceptional material to use in conjunction with nickel when designing a battery. The electronegative characteristics of zinc have made it a popular choice in a variety of primary (single use) battery technologies for many years.
Recyclability
More than 6.5 million metric tons of zinc slab, oxides, powders and dusts are consumed each year in the Western World, two million of which come from recycled zinc. In the United States, the Bureau of Mines estimates that with enhanced recovery, recycled zinc will ultimately account for more than 40% of the total amount of zinc used
Meanwhile, nickel’s resistance to corrosion means that when most nickel-containing products are eventually discarded, they are still intact and easily identifiable (e.g., a kitchen sink made of stainless steel). This aids in the collection and sorting of nickel-containing products for recycling.
Sustainability
While abundant, both nickel and zinc are finite resources. However, their innate characteristics and recyclability assure environmentally sensitive availability for long-term development. Unlike many other materials nickel and zinc can be recycled again and again while maintaining their physical and chemical properties. There remains the same amount of each element at the end of a particular product cycle as at the beginning.
www.powergenix.com
PowerGenix Video
Tags: 1.6 volt AA rechargeable batteries, NiZn rechargeable batteries, PowerGenix
May 1st, 2009 at 1:32 pm
Okay don’t keep us in suspense> Is DepotEco going to sell PowerGenix NiZn batteries? Have you tried them out yet? This sounds like a good battery. It doesn’t poison, melt or blow you up, and it has higher voltage. There may be an over voltage issue if hardware was designed for 1.2 volt NiCad. There is really no excuse for disposable batteries now, is there?
May 19th, 2009 at 6:26 pm
Mid June we will have them in stock ready to Ship!
Get ready. These are great.
May 20th, 2009 at 12:26 pm
With the voltage difference between Eneloop and PowerGenix it is possible to pick the best for a particular device. The characteristics of each technology will no doubt address more effectively requirements of different applications. Do you know about charger requirements and if, for instance, a NiMh charger will work on NiZn batteries?
May 20th, 2009 at 2:21 pm
Hey Tom , the answer to that is no.
Because of the charging characteristics of NiZn the changer must be designed specifically for NiZn cells.
So no, you cannot charge them on a NiMh or NiCd charger.
Excellent question !
Thanks for it.
May 20th, 2009 at 2:48 pm
Thanks for the quick answer. Here is another question.
Do the NiZn batteries hold the charge like an Eneloop or loose it like the other standard NiMh batteries?
May 20th, 2009 at 3:21 pm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nickel-zinc_battery
PowerGenix is the example of NiZn pictured in this Wikipedia article on Nickle-zinc batteries.
May 22nd, 2009 at 5:14 pm
Tom, Thanks for the 2nd great Question.
As you know this is a High Voltage performance battery 30% more powerful than standard NiMh and thus you give up some of the LSD (Low Self Discharge) benefits but still the Zinc cells hold a residual charge longer than the standard NiMh products out there !!
Keep the questions coming.
Regards,
DepotEco.com
June 1st, 2009 at 3:59 pm
okay here is a big question: are there restrictions on how you ship NiZn as there are with some other types of batteries? One of the many advantages of Eneloop batteries is low hazard. How about PowerGenix?
June 2nd, 2009 at 1:25 pm
Tom, another great question!
Nickel Zinc batteries have no restrictions in shipping by air. In safety test up against Lithium Ion batteries the PowerGenix Nickel Zinc batteries passed both the puncture test with no explosion and the heat test with no fire or explosion.
This safety issue is one of the reasons the technology will be applied to hybrid vehicles since it is much safer than Lithium Ion batteries regarding fire or explosion if an unfortunate accident were to occur.
June 2nd, 2009 at 3:20 pm
Lithium is what they use to make red in fireworks. Did you ever wonder why they allow laptops and other Lithium batteries in gadgets on airlines? The PowerGenix really sounds like the rechargeable battery we have always wanted.
June 3rd, 2009 at 10:20 pm
here’s some specs on a 1500mah AA battery. the ones being sold are 2500mah.
http://www.powergenix.com/docs/powergenix-specs-aa.pdf
June 7th, 2009 at 4:48 pm
I have been waiting for these for a while.. Also its great that DepotEco.com my favorite Green Product Store will be selling them!.
So I have an older Sony Camera I think it uses a 1.2 Volt Nimh battery ? Can i use these for that to? Or should i stick to my other devices that i know can run on a 1.6 volt alkaline?
Cant wait to get some.. I am going to send in an order tonight!. Thanks guys. NiZn Nickle Batteries really are a huge thing!. I hope that catch on!!!
June 10th, 2009 at 12:20 pm
Nickel Zinc (NiZn) rechargeable battery technology provides 1.6 volt power and low self-discharge for optimum performance of electronic devices and lights designed to run on alkaline batteries. Other rechargeable batteries have lower voltage and only work well in applications that were designed to run on lower power. Last winter Ritz Camera introduced the Quantaray Super Z charger and four AA batteries for $49.99. This month, June 2009, DepotEco introduces the PowerGenix (pioneered the technology) NiZn one hour charger with 4 AA batteries for $29.99. The same thing $20.00 less money. Note NiMh chargers do not provide the higher voltage and other logic required to properly charge NiZn batteries, so you need the new charger to use the batteries.
http://www.depoteco.com/SPD/powergenix-1hr-zinc-4-position-charger-and-4-aa–8000025B-1244226947.jsp
DepotEco.com and associated online Amazon stores specialize in earth-friendly lifestyle items and information blogs about integrating them into greener living strategies. Their Earth Day sales and gifts have received mention on Slick Deals in the past.
http://forums.slickdeals.net/showthread.php?p=20342411#post20342411
June 10th, 2009 at 1:05 pm
Thanks Sam, very nice observation.. The more we can get the word out and the reasons for using the new NiZn rechargeable batteries from PowerGenix the better..
Thanks for your help.! Keep it up
June 11th, 2009 at 9:53 am
What about smart chargers like the lacrosse BC-900?
June 13th, 2009 at 11:37 am
I do not think that charger will work with NiZn but we do plan on selling that unit with the BC-700 as well.
So we will test it and let you know.
June 19th, 2009 at 10:14 pm
Very cool.. comming soon
Yes.
July 8th, 2009 at 2:45 pm
My PowerGenix charger and batteries just arrived. NiZn is a different technology. Only use NiZn chargers with NiZn batteries. Do not mix NiZn batteries with other battery types. PowerGenix has incorporated safety features into the chargers to prevent some errors but this is REALLY the time to READ the instructions. The charger holds 2 or 4 AA or 2 AAA cells. Right now I am following the recommended initial charging cycle before using the first time. The LED status lights (red on when quick charging, green on trickle charging, red flash for problem cells) take a few seconds to settle down when charging is begun. “Cooking” the batteries by overcharging is prevented by an integral safety timer.
As I experiment with the batteries, there will be more reports on the results. It will take some time to compare with other rechargeable batteries in different gadgets. Hopefully others will share their experiences, it is really helpful to hear specifics about different applications.
July 16th, 2009 at 11:44 am
How many times can these be recharged. NiMh typically advertised at 1K+. Also, what is the warranty?
Finally, one caution I see is the readiness of the company to market and support their product. Their web site does not offer specs on the current item shipping and does not list warranty.
If someone were to invest in buying their products, what likelihood is there that they will still be selling these in a year?
July 20th, 2009 at 10:39 am
I’ve just ordered the four-pack of PowerGenix NiZn rechargeable batteries to use in a set of outdoor, solar re-charging “mood” lights. Anybody care to hazard a guess as to what percentage of charge loss/restore is going to be in that application before I’ll need to buy the Super Z charger and give em a thorough recharge? (these batteries plus the charger are costing more than the lights originally did, even if DepotEco pays the shipping, which they probably won’t)
July 20th, 2009 at 2:14 pm
If the solar mood lights came new with NiCad batteries then I believe a better replacement choice is the NiMh either Eneloop of Rayovac, the 1.2 volt is probably a better match with charging circuit. The PowerGenix may be higher voltage than light can tolerate. Like putting premium gasoline in a car designed for regular.
July 20th, 2009 at 2:17 pm
One reason for the performance difference between the two battery types is that digital cameras, like all electronic devices, have a minimum operating voltage that must be sustained to ensure successful operation. Because NiMH systems typically start at a significantly lower pack voltage than NiZn systems, the NiMH system will fall below the minimum operating voltage of the camera before its NiZn counterpart. Despite the fact that the NiMH battery pack may not have used the entire energy capacity of the pack, the minimum voltage cut-off of the device renders the additional capacity useless.
Because NiZn delivers greater mWh capacity it’s able to provide steady-state optimal performance over a larger portion of the system discharge. This correlates to not only more shots or flashes per charge, but also more responsive electronic performance. In the case of a digital camera this translates into quicker flash recharging and processor speed to allow for shorter recovery time between shots.
The bottom line is that battery pack voltage is not accounted for by the mAh rating convention. The four-cell NiMH battery pack in this example has a pack rating of 4.8 volts (4 x 1.2 volts/cell), compared to the 6.4-volt pack rating of the four-cell NiZn battery pack. This is a significant difference that affects user experience but is overlooked by the mAh rating-and would be accounted for by the new mWh rating.
July 23rd, 2009 at 9:05 pm
Matthew ,NiMh and NiZn have similiar charge cycles – up to 1,000 time if combined with short and deep charges. If you do deep charging on both the cycle time will come down but since the battery is never really total depleted most charges are just
from 40%-50% up to 80%-90% before the charge cycle is completed. Thus could be up 1000’s if someone wanted to top off a lot .
Warranty is 1 year replacement -Free of Charge from Powergenix- San Diego, CA
September 17th, 2009 at 3:35 am
outdoor solar power lights…
DepotEco Introduces PowerGenix AA Nickel-Zinc High Yield Technology Batteries On Sale now Pre-orders [...]…
October 17th, 2009 at 8:42 am
These PowerGenix batteries are great and now there is a $5 off special. The higher voltage really makes a difference. Rather than milk disposable batteries for the last drop of power it is now possible to start off with a fully charged battery any time without wasting anything. Just top off the charge when you want the longest duty cycle. It is doubtful that many of the PowerGenix will ever be required to test the thousand cycle cycle limit, especially since unlike older type rechargeables they hold their charge. PowerGenix I charged over three months ago are still ready to use. Try that with a NiCad or most of the older NiMH.
November 15th, 2009 at 8:07 am
1. PowerGenix is working great for me. I can’t imagine why I would buy other types of AA batteries. BUT, why can’t I get AAA size???
2. I have the “white” charger, like the one in the pictures, that came with batteries. What is different about the “black” charger that is available now?
November 18th, 2009 at 8:48 am
The charger says it does AAA batteries too, but no one seems to have them listed even the manufacturer, when will someone get them?
November 18th, 2009 at 12:14 pm
Yes, !! it does.. And very soon.
PowerGenix tell us to expect AAA NiZn battery cells in March or April of 2010.. So looks like about 5 months or so.. Of course we will have them up ASAP so check back often…
November 18th, 2009 at 12:27 pm
Tom, NiZn AAA PowerGenix Batteries will be in around March or April of 2010.
As for the difference between the 5 hour and the 1 hour charger..
The White Charger is the 1 hour charger , The Black unit is the 5 hour.
The biggest difference is that the 1 hour unit can charge 4 cells all of them independent so you can go down to one cell.. They both can do 2 AAA when Available but the 5 hour unit must charge in Pairs. So for the 5 hour unit you must insert the cells in the outer most or inner most charger slots to get the charger to function.. Also The 1 hour unit will charge the cells to 80% in the first hour and then trickle charges the NiZn Cells to full in about 3 more hours. The 5 hour unit also Chargers the NiZn Cells to 80% in the first hour but it trickle charges the NiZn cells up to 100% in the next 5 hours.. Thus its a bit slower and also has the limitation of only charging in Pairs.
Really PowerGenix has created a slightly more affordable charger in the 5 hour unit 24.99 as the 1 hour unit is 29.99. (Currently onsale 24.99)
Let me know if you have more questions.
Thanks for buying the PowerGenix NiZn recahrgeabel batteries.. We love um. !
November 18th, 2009 at 10:29 pm
So can the 1 hour charger charge a single AAA by itself?
I wish they made it to charge up to 4 AAA’s just like the AA’s are. Cause both my LED lights I would use the AAA’s in take 3 AAA batteries. That would mean I would need 2 chargers to charge them quickly. I still may get one to use on my AA lights for now.
Any plans of a charger that can charge 4 AAA’s? There are so many LED lights now that have a battery pack that takes 3 AAA batteries, someone should sell a charger kit for those. I would buy 2 for myself and a few more as gifts.
December 26th, 2009 at 2:07 am
When is PowerGenix coming out with a real D size NiZn battery ?