Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. Ltd. (Tokyo) and Matsushita Battery Industry Corp. will begin selling a new ZR6D AA-sized battery on March 20, 2002. The battery reportedly has a high current discharge, stronger than a conventional alkali dry element battery, and is suitable for use with digital cameras.
Matsushita claims that the new ZR6D Ni-Mn battery enables a digital camera to take 143 pictures, compared to the conventional alkali dry element battery, which takes 47 pictures. The battery package enables users to distinguish used batteries from the new ones, which are called "break-off battery packs." The price for the new ZR6D Ni-Mn battery is 220 yen each, and monthly production is scheduled to be five million.
