Rayovac Corp. (Madison, WI) and Yuasa-Delta Technology Inc. (Taiwan) announced the signing of a manufacturing and purchasing agreement, under which Yuasa-Delta will produce Rayovac's new in-cell charge control (I-C³) rechargeable nickel-metal hydride (NiMH) batteries and other NiMH products. Rayovac's patent-pending I-C³ technology puts the control of recharging into the battery instead of the charger, resulting in batteries that can be recharged in as little as 15 minutes.
The Rayovac I-C³ NiMH batteries can last up to four times longer than regular single-use alkaline in certain applications, and can be recharged up to 1,000 times. High-tech electronic devices (digital cameras, MP3 players, cell phones), household devices (power tools, personal-care products, toys) and other emerging technologies (e-scooters/e-bikes, portable web-based electronics) can greatly benefit from the I-C³ system.
"Yuasa-Delta is known throughout the industry as one of the leading manufacturers of NiMH rechargeable batteries," said Rayovac Chairman and CEO Dave Jones. "Their technology and engineering expertise will be a great complement to our ground-breaking I-C³ battery technology that will turn charging into minutes rather than hours."
Rayovac is currently evaluating options for strategic partnerships with major OEMs. Retail products are expected to be introduced in mid-to-late 2003.
