Green Products Blog - Sanyo eneloop Batteries, News, Reviews and More.

For Immediate Release:  May 30th 2009

We at DepotEco are adding something really exciting to our inventory this summer! We have the honor of being one of the first stores to offer the newest in innovative Nickel-Zinc (NiZn) battery technology from PowerGenix.

In the past few years, interest in PowerGenix NiZn batteries has skyrocketed as their reputation for producing the most reliable, highest quality NiZn technology has grown. Today the company is supplying NiZn cells into multiple markets including power tool, lawn and garden, consumer AA, military, and light electric vehicle (LEV).

In the exciting and quickly evolving world of Hybrid Electric Vehicles (HEVs), PowerGenix and their NiZn battery technology is being recognized as a game changer and real step forward in terms of efficiency, power, environmental soundness, and cost effectiveness. PowerGenix’s NiZn powered Toyota Prius was showcased at the 2009 San Diego International Auto Show where the advanced battery vehicle was featured in the Eco-Center, the main feature of the 2009 show. As the Prius, the Insight, and other new hybrid cars battle it out for the top spot, PowerGenix’s NiZn technology is finding itself at the center of HEV innovation.

PowerGenix has also entered into a supply agreement with PowerEagle, the leading manufacturer of electric bicycles in China. Under the agreement, PowerGenix will supply its NiZn cells for pack fabrication into the entire product line offered by Veloteq, PowerEagle’s North American sales and distribution partner, beginning in 2009. In many other arenas PowerGenix has seen a great increase in demand and investment and has accordingly begun high-volume manufacturing.

For decades NiZn batteries have been recognized for their usefulness in applications demanding high discharge rate capabilities. With a high energy-density ratio and an open circuit voltage of 1.6 volts they have been heralded as the batteries of the future for high drain applications. Now PowerGenix- an innovative San Diego based company founded in 2000- has developed and is manufacturing patented NiZn 1.6 Volt Rechargeable AA batteries that make NiZn technology more effective, useful and available than ever before.

PowerGenix has improved already efficient NiZn technology by increasing cycle-life, lowering cost, reducing size and weight by 30% and improving low temperature discharge behavior. The small size and low internal resistance of PowerGenix NiZn 1.6 Volt Rechargeable AA Batteries enables the delivery of significantly more power during periods of peak demand than a nickel-cadmium (NiCd) or nickel-metal hydride (NiMH) battery of comparable size.

Another way that PowerGenix NiZn batteries have raised the bar is by their ability to completely recharge in less than two hours and achieve 80% recharge within one hour, a key benefit for cordless power tools, electronics and many other applications. These rechargeable batteries are also completely safe, non-combustible and easier on the environment than other comparable technologies.

Until now, NiZn 1.6 Volt Rechargeable AA batteries have been available only in limited quantities via one camera merchant. But we at DepotEco were so impressed by the efficiency and environmental soundness of these batteries that we were determined to make them available to our customers. We are honored to announce that beginning in late June we will be one of the first stores to carry these amazing batteries. They are now available online and in our brick and mortar store.

We will have them stocked and ready to ship by the beginning of July, but we are happy to take your back orders now.

Pre-Buy Now~! Here…

eneloop rechargeable batteries currently do not come as a C or D cell, yet. (read this for info)

They do offer the adapter shells. Some people have great success with these others report back that they seem not to work at all.

Tips, for using the eneloop D and C shells.

1. Make sure the AA battery is completely inserted into the Spacer / Adapter. The Small tip of the eneloop (positive) needs to touch the extremely small ring of metal on the inside of the tip of the adapter.

2. In many case the AA eneloop battery bottem (negative) side is to small to touch the negative contact terminal in the flashlight or other devices .

Solution, Tape a washer or a penny to the eneloops negative side/ bottem of the adapter terminal after inserting the AA battery. This should then provide sufficient contact area for the device.

One of our customers recently sent this in to us. ( Thanks for the feedback !! )

“This may be a new one for you. I knew that I had pushed the AA battery completely into the D cell adapter because it clicked into place. I even pushed the two D cells together inside the flashlight housing to make sure they made contact. This is in a Maglight 2 D-cell flashlight.
Well, as I looked at the two parts of the flashlight I noticed the butt end with the wire coil that presses against the batteries was larger than the AA battery butt end in the adapter. Ah HA! I put a balled up piece of foil over the AA battery end and screwed the butt end of the flashlight on and, voila’! It works! So, it was simply the coiled end of the flashlight was larger than the AA battery so no contact was made. Please add this to your support notes for other Eneloop users who may run into the same issue.

BTW, I’m still very happy with this kit. If a bit of foil is all it takes to reduce my dependence on disposable batteries then that’s fine! I can reuse the same bit of foil over and over and over and over and…….”

We love to hear that about eneloops.. and yes they are worth any extra effort.

———————-

Keep the comments coming.

At DepotEco.com we’re celebrating Earth Day by offering specials on green, eco-friendly products that both minimize our impact on the earth and add simplicity to our own lives. We and our customers have come to realize that many of the green products we can use to help the environment can at the same time make our own routines more economical and practical. Every year millions of disposable bags, cups and batteries are added to landfills. One way to cut down on this waste, and on our own expenses, is to use reusable bags, reusable mugs, and rechargeable batteries. In honor of Earth Day we’re offering the following specials to make it easier than ever for people to make these simple changes.

Everyone who makes an order from DepotEco.com on Earth Day will receive a free ChicoBag “VITA” with DepotEco logo.  (limited one per household while supply’s last)

ChicoBags are reusable shopping bags made of  durable, woven polyester fibers. The bags come with a small pouch and when compressed they can fit in your pocket, yet they carry up to 25 lbs.! The average American reportedly uses 300-700 plastic bags per year. Using a reusable, recycled ChicoBag is a great way to avoid the use of plastic bags.

Our second Earth Day offer is to allow anybody making an order of $50 or more to purchase a Green Contigo AUTOSEAL Mug for only $9.99 rather than the regular $22.00 price (limited one per household while  supply’s last). The Stainless Steel AUTOSEAL Mug has a double wall, is vacuum-insulated and has a 100% leak proof lid that seals after every sip.

With these eco-friendly products you can greatly reduce your use of disposable cups and bags, but these aren’t the only changes we want to help you make this year.

Our final special is an Earth Day discount on the extremely popular Sanyo Eneloop Power Pack Kit, the perfect product to help you completely eliminate your use of disposable batteries and switch to a rechargeable battery system. The Eneloop Power Pack Kit combines all of your battery needs into a convenient kit. It comes equipped with a four position charger, eight AA Eneloop batteries, four AAA Eneloop batteries, two Eneloop C spacers and two Eneloop D spacers. To appreciate how many batteries you can save by buying this kit consider that 1 Eneloop rechargeable battery can replace 1,000 regular alkaline batteries.  For earth day only we will sell these Power Packs for 25% off the already discounted sign in rate.  Visit us on Earth Day to take advantage of this special deal. (limited one per household while  supply’s last)

Our sincere hope is that these Earth Day specials will help you to make some simple changes this year that are completely practical and will also minimize your footprint on the earth. We at DepotEco.com thank you for your interest in green, eco-friendly products and wish you a great Earth Day.

-Creative Productions online stores  (Depoteco.com , eneloopstore.com, eneloop PRO store, PilatesProducts.Pro)-

The Sanyo Ark: Covered in 5,000 solar panels, the edifice is a working power-generation system which also houses a solar museum. But is it a genuine statement of Sanyo’s ideology or just a PR stunt?

The electronics giant is turning to rechargeable batteries and waterless washing machines, writes David McNeill in Tokyo

RIDING THE Shinkansen Bullet Train out of Tokyo along the eastern industrial corridor towards Osaka has long been one of the best and most pleasurable ways to experience Japan’s high-tech economy. Electronics giant Sanyo has added another attraction to the route: as the train barrels along at 270km/h (168m/h), it passes Sanyo’s Solar Ark, a futuristic 15m (50ft) -wide solar building that rises out of the landscape like a giant black boombox near the industrial city of Nagoya.

Simultaneously a working power-generation system and a monument to solar energy, the ark’s surface is made up of 5,000 solar panels that help power the entire facility. Inside, a museum to solar power attracts thousands of schoolchildren a year, part of what Sanyo - with a straight corporate face - calls an attempt “to live in harmony with the earth”.

The company has just emerged from a bruising battle with its founding family, ending what the Nikkei business newspaper called “six decades of nepotism”. In a spring-cleaning that shocked Japan’s staid corporate world, president Toshimasa Iue was ousted last year along with Tomoyo Nonaka, his hand-picked chairwoman. Iue’s father, 75-year-old chairman Satoshi, went the year before.

Shareholders rebelled after Sanyo posted a record net loss of about €1.16 billion in 2005, following earthquake damage to its Niigata semiconductor plant and failed investments in liquid crystal panels and microchips.

Analysts also believe that Nonaka, one of the very few women to run a Japanese company, pushed Sanyo’s conservative board too far, by attempting an ambitious restructuring linked to the environmental theme of Gaia, which holds that the planet is a self-regulating, interrelated organism. In a corporate blurb more Greenpeace than mass manufacturer, Sanyo now says it is “committed to listening to Gaia’s voice and engaging in activities that are beneficial to life and the Earth”.

Some observers have been startled at this fulsome embrace of environmentalism by a company known mainly for dour if dedicated service to churning out batteries and consumer appliances.

Long-time Tokyo tech-watcher J Mark Lytle calls it “the mother of all corporate makeovers”. Yurika Ayukawa, a leading environmental consultant who gave a presentation to Sanyo’s board in 2005, recalls that the Gaia concept was “not popular at all” among the company’s directors.

But even she acknowledges that this may be more than just a case of environmental opportunism. Sanyo’s rebranding coincided with the release of the Eneloop, a range of rechargeable batteries that have clocked up 60 million sales in less than three years and grabbed half the market for that product niche with two simple innovations: they last much longer than anything else on the shelves, and come to the shops already recharged.

The Eneloop series has expanded to include reusable solar chargers and other products, and Sanyo now makes battery packs for Nintendo’s mega-hit Wii. Expect the rest of the world to follow: just 400 million rechargeable batteries are sold globally out of total disposable sales of 40 billion, and Sanyo wants a much bigger share. And it is going after the burgeoning market for hybrid-electric car batteries in deals with Honda, Ford and Volkswagen.

Then there is Aqua, a range of state-of-the-art washing machines that clean clothes with little or no water or detergent. The trick is a drum that converts oxygen to ozone, which destroys bacteria and dirt, and recycles ozone-purified water from the rinse cycle - or even from last night’s bath. The Aqua 3,000 doesn’t come cheap - it’s about €1,300 - but its environmental appeal, and the promise of a €100 cut in annual water bills have helped make it a hit in Japan, with 210,000 units sold.

Of course nobody, least of all Sanyo, is considering a full-on Gaia revolution, which would entail abandoning our entire modern lifestyles. Still, these are the kind of innovative products that put Japan on the map, and they have helped vindicate the rebranding decision. The company plans more of the same, earmarking 70 per cent of €2.45 billion in capital spending over the next three years on solar cells, batteries, and components, as it continues to scale down production of mobile phones, white goods and LCD displays.

Solar technology, in particular, is seen as a key growth area, with €477 million set aside for capital spending on that technology alone. Production of solar panels at Sanyo’s European assembly base in Hungary will triple in the next few years. “‘Think Gaia’ is genuine,” insists Sanyo spokesman Aaron Fowles, who says that the entire company is aiming to become “carbon-neutral” by 2010.

He urges those sceptical of Sanyo’s conversion, to consider the Gaia opposite: the “blind pursuit” of convenience and comfort: “‘Think Gaia’ is more than merely a ‘green’ or ‘eco’ initiative. It really is a focus on how we can contribute to make life and the Earth be in harmony.” The rebranding comes at a crucial time. Although Sanyo returned to profitability this year, its financial problems in 2005 forced it to go cap in hand to a consortium of lenders, who bought 300 billion yen (€1,925 billion) of preferred stock - about 70 per cent of the company’s value.

So far, the new management has kept the shareholders on board, but critics will continue to pick at Sanyo’s new-found environmental credentials. The Solar Ark provides an irresistible symbol of the company’s rebranding: is it genuinely saving power or just a giant PR stunt? According to its website, the ark’s solar panels generate 530,000 kilowatt-hours of energy per year, providing power to plants within the complex, and saving money on energy bills. But Sanyo doesn’t say how much money.

Technology writer Tim Hornyak urges caution: “It’s easy to bamboozle consumers with slogans. Big companies that have these campaigns are the very ones that are trying to block governments from curbing environmental emissions, so it behooves us to look beyond these slogans, and see what are they actually doing.”

Like many other observers, and companies, in Japan, he will be watching to see if Sanyo pulls off its green revolution.

© 2008 The Irish Times

This article appears in the print edition of the Irish Times

Eneloop AA and AAA sized rechargeable batteries come pre-charged and can be kept charged on the shelf for months with little self discharge. Great in remotes, wii, wireless keyboard/mouse and much more!

read more | digg story

Sanyo has announced their ENELOOP batteries yesterday.

read more | digg story

eneloop universe. 2007 design award

eneloop battery introduction.

Gamers Need eneloop rechargeable batteries….

People have asked me why we are selling Sanyo eneloop batteries on a green products e-commerce web site? That’s Easy. 1 eneloop = 1000 alkline batteries. And Sanyo has made sure they are recyclable. If you are in Santa Barbara bring in your old NiMH or orther rechargeabel batteries to 2941 De La Vina and we will recycle them for you. eneloops are the best all around NiMH rechargeable battery we have ever used, when we found them we decided to make a mission out of getting them to the public. They do cost a bit more than other brands of rechargeable batteries but they out last all of them by leaps and bounds. So eneloops are green because they help reduce the amount alkaline batteries in landfills polluting the earth.

Long Storage Life: Batteries have a property to release the stored energy in small amounts over time (self-discharge). Improvement in self-discharge characteristics enable eneloop to be “ready to use out of the package” and to have long shelf life. It keeps 85% of the initial charge after 1 year, so it can be used now or as an emergency battery.

Click here for more info from Sanyo about these wonderful new eneloop Batteries.

Think GAIA click here

Leave your comments and thoughts about Sanyo eneloop rechargeable NiMH batteries here.