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GS Battery (USA) Inc. Newest Call2Recycle Environmental Steward — ROSWELL, Ga., July 2, 2012 /PRNewswire/ –
326 days
ROSWELL, Ga., July 2, 2012 /PRNewswire/ — GS Battery (USA) Inc., today announced it has joined Call2Recycle® to enhance its recycling efforts and provide its customers additional means to recycle their small, sealed lead acid batteries. Call2Recycle is the only no cost rechargeable battery and cell phone collection program in North America.
“GS Battery is dedicated to global environmental initiatives and is committed to complying with all laws and ordinances,” said Jay Northey, Executive Vice-president and General Manager. “It is our corporate philosophy to take a proactive approach to the environment and we are proud to partner with Call2Recycle and give our customers another avenue to recycle our batteries here in the USA and Canada.”
“Supporting a battery recycling program is one important way that businesses can advance their green business practices and make their organization more sustainable,” said Carl Smith, CEO and President Call2Recycle. “GS Battery is joining a dedicated group of manufacturers and marketers that have committed to a product stewardship program for rechargeable batteries and are contributing to a cleaner environment and healthier, safer communities.”
Rechargeable batteries are a long-lasting, eco-friendly power source for many electronic devices, including laptop computers, cellphones, power tools, PDAs, fiber to the home battery back-up units, UPS devices and emergency lighting equipment.
Since 1996, over 70 million pounds of rechargeable batteries have been collected through Call2Recycle. Various federal, state and provincial regulations govern the proper disposal of rechargeable batteries and cellphones, naming Call2Recycle in official legislation as the collection method for eco-safe rechargeable battery and cell phone reclamation and recycling. Call2Recycle is the first battery program to obtain Responsible Recycling® (R2) certification and e-Steward recognition by the Basel Action Network (BAN) and upholds strict third-party standards for environmental safety and social responsibility.
About GS Battery (USA) Inc.
GS Battery (USA) Inc. is an American subsidiary of GS Yuasa Group of Japan, a world leader in automotive, motorcycle and standby storage batteries, which serves the power sports, telecommunications, UPS, and the emergency lighting markets. GS Battery (USA) Inc. recently announced that they will enter the renewable energy photovoltaic and storage market in North America. For more information on GS Battery (USA) Inc., call 1-800-GSBATRY or visit gsbattery.com.
About Call2RecycleCall2Recycle is the only free rechargeable battery and cellphone collection program in North America. Since 1996, Call2Recycle has diverted over 70 million pounds of rechargeable batteries from the solid waste stream and established a network of 30,000 collection sites throughout the U.S. and Canada. Advancing green business practices and environmental sustainability, Call2Recycle is the most active voice promoting eco-safe reclamation and recycling of rechargeable batteries and cellphones. It is the first program of its kind to receive the Responsible Recycling Practices Standard (R2) certification. Founded in 1994, Call2Recycle is operated by RBRC, a non-profit organization. Learn more at call2recycle.org or 877-723-1297. become a follower or fan at twitter.com/call2recycle or facebook.com/call2recycle.
SOURCE GS Battery (USA) Inc.
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RELATED LINKS gsbattery.com
Best Marine Battery: Lead Acid, AGM, Gel Cell – Prices, Statistics, Characteristics
327 days
The best marine battery is the one that will meet your needs, last as long as you own your boat, and that you got at an acceptable price. Marine batteries are a cross between car batteries with their high cranking amps (short bursts of high power) and deep cycle batteries used on golf carts, trolling motors, and other devices designed for continuous use. Good marine batteries have high cranking amps (which the marine industry calls marine cranking amp’s) to get the motor started but they also have to be able to run continuously for several hours like a deep cycle battery does. There are three battery types that you need to consider before making a purchase. first is lead acid (also called flooded), AGM, and gel cell. Gel cell batteries are modified lead acid batteries with a gelling agent added to turn the battery acid into a gel. These batteries take a recharge very slowly. AGM batteries recharge very quickly, are sealed and leakproof and can take a lot of abuse. Lead acid batteries can also be sealed and made maintenance-free. Time to recharge a lead acid battery is between the gel cell and the AGM.
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You also need to be aware of the reserve capacity rating (how long you can drain the battery). Higher is better. you also will want to look at the CCA rating which stands for cold cranking amp rating. Higher is better. also the higher the marine cranking amp rating the better. Another vital statistic is the pulse cranking amp rating which measures the starting amperage of the engine
Deep cycle marine batteries are the ones that are designed for continuous use for long periods of time. but they still have to have enough cranking amperage to get the motor started. All three types of marine batteries (lead acid, AGM, gel cell) can be deep cycle but more people favor AGM and lead acid than gel cell. when you look at the pricing for marine batteries you will see a wide range, from around $100 to as high as $750 per battery. the vital statistics above will help you sort out the differences between the low end and the high end products. also there are several online calculators that will help you figure out the battery size you need. you simply enter the load voltage, the load amperage, and the inverter efficiency rating. This will help you figure out the size marine battery that you need to best meet your application.
Making Your Own Lead Acid Battery Desulfator: Some Insider Tips
445 days
Lead acid batteries lose to ability to hold a charge due to sulfation, the crystallization of lead sulfate. as batteries go about numerous charging and discharging, the lead sulfate slowly converts to a crystalline form that no longer dissolves when you recharge. this means that not all the lead goes back to the battery plates and the amount of usable material necessary to generate electricity decreases over time.
Sulfation is something that occurs in all lead acid batteries. over time, it ultimately destroys the battery. this can be avoided is a battery is fully recharged immediately after a discharge cycle. But if not, you can bring your old lead acid batteries to life with a lead acid battery desulfator.
Desulftation is the process of reversing the process of sulfation. this process partially restores the ability of a battery to hold a charge. Desulfation, also called pulse conditioning, is achieved by high current pulses produced between terminals of the battery. It works by breaking down the sulfate crystals that are formed on the battery plates.
While you can purchase your own lead acid battery desulfator or have it done by a mechanic, you can save some money and make your own with materials that you can easily find in your own home and any hardware store. all you need are a can of Altoids, double-sided tape and some electrical materials like a piece of perf-board, adhesive copper foil, 2 switches, one LED (light emitting diode), one FET (field effect transistor), capacitors and some glue.
To make your own desulfator, take the perf-board and place it inside the Altoids can. use double stick tape to affix the board in place. Take a strip of adhesive copper foil on the bottom edge of the board to act as a ground bus. Take the switches, resistors, pots, FET and LED onto the perf-board in such a way that the position would require the shortest length of jumper wire connections. use glue to set the components in place and place a nylon bolt on the FET for more stability. Take some cardboard pieces, then affix them using glue around the perforated board. The cardboard pieces should act as insulation for the desulfator.
Next, drill a hole onto the left side of the can. this will accommodate the wires for the desulfator. Take a rubber grommet, then use it to line the hole of the can. this will prevent the wires from touching the metal as they pass through. On the right side of the can, drill 3 holes. Drill another hole on the lid of the can. this will be used to observe the LED when the desulfator is used.
The next step involves soldering the wires. let the wires pass through the hole on the left side of the can and solder them onto the electrolytic capacitors. Then use output lead wires and clips to connect them to the battery that you want to desulfate.
With this homemade lead acid battery desulfator, you can extend the life span of your batteries, save money and perhaps make some by making a small business out of desulfation.
Dead Battery Exports from U.S. to Mexico Soar in 2011
452 days
ALEXANDRIA, Va., Feb 29, 2012 (BUSINESS WIRE) –U.S. exports of spent lead acid batteries (SLABs) to Mexico reached 754 million pounds in 2011, an increase of 35 percent over the previous year, according to data obtained from U.S. Customs and Border Protection databases. despite mounting concern over the danger this toxic waste poses to workers and communities in developing countries, SLAB exports continue to grow unabated. these exports are being fueled by domestic battery companies and middlemen who purchase the used car, truck and boat batteries from automotive service stations, government sources and big box retailers with auto centers.
the 2011 increase in battery exports of 35 percent comes on top of the 2010 increase which was reported at 112 percent. since 2008 SLAB exports to Mexico have increased by a stunning 326 percent.
“We need to think about the people who are affected by SLAB exports–the mothers in Mexico who fear for their children’s health, the foreign workers who labor under few protections, and the U.S. workers whose jobs are at risk,” said Diane L. Cullo, Director of SLAB Watchdog. “Business and government executives need to understand the SLABs they export are being recycled in facilities, which emit significantly more lead than is safe or even legal under domestic regulations. Innocent people are being harmed by this practice.”
A June, 2011, report released by Occupational Knowledge International (OKI), a labor group specializing in the health and safety of workers in less developed countries, details the lax regulations governing battery recycling in Mexico. among their findings, Mexican regulators permit a level of airborne lead in battery recycling plants that is 10 times higher than U.S. facilities. In addition, airborne lead emissions reported by lead battery recycling plants in Mexico are approximately 20 times higher than those from comparable U.S. plants.
the report also found that more than half of all Mexican recyclers do not report their emissions. because of this weak government oversight SLAB Watchdog believes these emission figures represent a best case scenario.
In December, 2011, the New York Times published an investigative report detailing the size and growth of the lead acid battery export problem. the Times even found dilapidated battery recycling compounds operating near schools, open-air produce markets, and residential communities in small Mexican towns. A soil sample they tested from a local schoolyard contained five times more lead than is allowed in the U.S.
In response to these reports, the Commission for Environmental Cooperation, a tri-national organization established under NAFTA, recently announced a plan to examine “the environmental and public health issues associated with the transboundary movement of spent lead-acid batteries across North America.”
“CEC’s decision to study this issue is important because prior to the OK International Report and the New York Times story, people had never heard of this issue or assumed we were somehow trying to build up an issue that did not exist,” noted Cullo. “CEC’s action is important because it validates the seriousness of substandard SLAB recycling. from our point of view it is a bigger global problem than those associated with e-waste recycling and that is why it must be incorporated into the policy deliberations by President Obama’s Interagency Task Force on Electronic Stewardship.”
the Task Force, comprised of the Environmental Protection Agency, the General Services Administration and the White House’s Council on Environmental Quality is currently considering rules by which to engage vendors on the responsible recycling of government e-waste. the actions of the Task Force include promoting the domestic recycling of e-waste and drafting rules requiring government generated e-waste to be recycled domestically. So far the Task Force has failed to recognize the very similar and equally harmful effects of SLABs.
“It makes no sense that the government will take action on e-waste but not SLABs. according to published reports, the federal fleet of non-military vehicles is more 700,000 vehicles. each year the government produces millions of pounds of toxic waste in the form of SLABs that is allowed to be shipped to developing counties, which do not have the capacity to handle it safely,” said Cullo. “The U.S. government could effectively end the foreign SLAB trade by requiring all spent lead acid batteries from federal fleets to be recycled domestically in facilities that adhere to U.S. health and safety and environmental regulations.”
SLAB Watchdog has submitted Freedom of Information Act requests to GSA, the U.S. Postal Service and the Department of Defense to find out how the U.S. government disposes of its dead fleet batteries. Similarly, SLAB Watchdog has asked several of the country’s largest automotive retail centers to examine where their batteries are recycled. according to the New York Times, Wal-Mart, which handles more than 20 million car, truck and boat batteries each year, utilizes Johnson Controls, the country’s largest battery exporter, to dispose of its SLABs.
“We believe big box retailers also have a role to play in stopping SLAB exports and we will continue asking Wal-Mart, Sears, Firestone, Meineke and others to include SLABs in their sustainability efforts until they can explain their rationale for using substandard recyclers that threaten the environment and health of those least able to protect themselves,” conclude Cullo.
To provide a sense of how big 754 million pounds of batteries is, SLAB Watchdog has generated the following comparisons:
— the Empire State Building weighs 730 million pounds;
— Nimitz class nuclear powered aircraft carrier weights 101,000 tons (202 million pounds). that is the equivalent of 3.7 aircraft carriers being shipped to Mexico;
— A fully loaded 747 weighs 970,000 pounds. that is the equivalent of 777 planes getting shipped to Mexico;
— A city bus weighs 28,000 lbs. that is the equivalent of 53,857 city buses being shipped to Mexico.
In addition the sheer volume of batteries being shipped to Mexico, there is concern regarding the logistics associated with getting them there and the resulting pollution. An 18 wheel, tractor trailer can haul 42,000 pounds of batteries in each load. that is 17,952 truckloads a year (49 per day, 365 days per year) to transport 754 million pounds of batteries to Mexico. each 18-wheeler is roughly 75 feet long. that means it takes 1,346,400 feet of trucks to deliver the batteries. that is 255 miles of truck. Imagine a traffic jam that long. how far is 255 miles?
— DC to NY: 226 miles
— NYC to Boston: 219 miles
— St. Louis to Kansas City: 248 miles
— Chicago to Detroit: 283 miles
— LA to Las Vegas: 265 miles
— Miami to Daytona Beach: 258 miles
SLAB Watchdog is committed to the safe and domestic recycling of spent lead-acid batteries (SLABs) and operates off of four basic principles: (1) Recycling of SLABs must occur in the United States by facilities that utilize the most advanced technologies that minimize environmental damage; (2) Transportation of SLABs must comply with federal regulations regarding the loading and bracing of SLABs to avoid damage and toxic spills; (3) Collection facilities should only use battery brokers who sign a memorandum of agreement committing to use domestic recyclers; (4) Federal, state and local governments must establish protocol to ensure that all SLABs generated by their vehicle fleets are recycled at domestic facilities.
SOURCE: SLAB Watchdog
SLAB Watchdog Diane L. Cullo, 703-244-5891
Copyright Business Wire 2012
How to Save Money on Your RBC7 Replacement Battery
491 days
Is your APC unit indicating that its time to replace the battery? Replacing the battery in an APC unit can be extremely expensive if you purchase it pre-made from a company. In this brief walk through, I will show you how to assemble your own RBC7 replacement battery which can cut your cost down by almost 50% also, please do not worry about voiding out the warranty of your unit by installing your own replacement batteries, both the unit and battery are under a two year warranty with American Power Conversion (APC) which if your reading this article should have already run out
RBC7 Compatible Units:
SU700XL, SU700XLNET, SU1000XL, SU1000XLNET, BP1400, SUVS1400, SU1400, SU1400NET, SUA1500, SUA1000XL and SUA750XL
Before we begin the assembly and installation of your RBC7 battery, you will need to acquire some necessary items for the steps involved. the RBC7 battery is essentially two 12v 18ah sealed lead acid batteries stuck together with adhesive and connected to make one big 24 volt battery pack. So, first things first, you must located and purchase two 12v 18ah sealed lead acid batteries either from your local battery store or over the Internet. the brands that I would personally recommend are CSB battery, and/or Power-Sonic. once you have acquired your batteries, then you will need to gather up a philips head screw driver, and few strips of foam double sided tape (3m preferred). once you have all of these items it’s time to get your battery installation under way
- In order to make your own RBC 7 battery pack you will need the parts off of the old battery, so the first step is to remove your old battery from the unit. Most of the APC units that take the RBC7 battery require you to remove the face plate from the unit and unscrew the metal latch to access the battery compartment. once this is done, unplug the spent battery pack and remove it from the unit.
- Once the battery is removed, you will need to disassemble it. Pry off the two plastic plates at either end of be batteries to reveal the fuse and plug connections. one the plates are off, use the philips screw driver to remove the fuse first, and then the plug. This will avoid any possibility of shorting out the pack while your working on it.
- One you have all the pieces off the spent battery, it’s time to assemble your RBC7 replacement battery. Take the few strips of foam double sided tape and apply them to the terminal side of one of your 12v 18ah batteries. Then push your other battery firmly against it so that the terminals are both facing inwards next to each other. once the tape has had a minute to stick, then you can start putting the pieces you just took off your old battery onto your replacement.
- Once you have fully constructed your own RBC7 replacement battery, simply slide it into the battery compartment and plug it into the unit. Then reattach the metal latch and face plate and power up the unit.
Congratulations on assembling your own APC replacement battery and saving a ton of money in the process
How to Recycle Batteries
509 days
The purpose of recycling batteries is to prevent hazardous materials from entering landfills in order to help create a greener earth. The reason for recycling them is to prevent the toxic chemicals in lead acid batteries from ruining the environment. There is nothing wrong with using these types of batteries as long as they are properly disposed of so that long term environmental damage is not done.
If nickel-cadmium (NiCd) batteries are carelessly disposed the metallic cylinder begins to corrode and the cadmium gradually dissolves, seeping into water supplies. if lithium batteries are not disposed properly they can cause a fire once the lithium is exposed, which can burn underground for many years. you may find non-rechargeable lithium batteries that are used for watches, hearing aids; however li-ion batteries for cell phones and laptops do not contain metallic lithium.
In order to recycle batteries properly in North America there is a rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation that operates a free recycling program. they do so by providing businesses with prepaid shipping containers for rechargeable batteries of all types, while consumers can drop the batteries off at numerous participating collection centers. The way to recycle batteries is to find where the containers are and drop them off. this in return will reduce the environmental hazards and reduce the risk of contamination in water.
The way these batteries are recycled is by sorting the batteries into chemistries, where the different kinds of batteries are placed into designated drums, sacks or boxes. they then begin by removing the combustible material with a gas-fired thermal oxidizer, where the plant scrubber then eliminates the polluting particles. they then are able to heat the leftover metal until it liquefies.
The way a consumer can recycle batteries is to ensure they are using the recycling program available and not just throwing them away. By taking the proper precautions you are reducing contamination and environmental hazards that can cause greater issues like fires, soil contamination and water pollution.
There are many different types of batteries such as lead-acid, nickel-cadmium, alkaline and rechargeable, and lithium. By taking the proper precautions in recycling these batteries you are reducing environmental hazards; you are also being environmentally friendly and doing your part in North America to reduce hazards and keep the air, water, and earth safe. this in return will help our earth become a greener country.
Locate a battery or electronics shop near you so that you can easily bring your household batteries in for recycling.
Recondition a Car Battery – Quick Fix For a Dead Battery
624 days
by TwiddleGeek
in batteries For Hp
Car battery, usually lead acid, is 12-volt with six 2 volt cells connected in series and Marine batteries, usually deep cycle are expensive items to replace. The main cause of the damage to lead acid batteries is when left sitting for any length of time.
Weather is the main factor for any marine battery failure. Car batteries suffer the same when the auto is stored or not used for months.
Adding a battery additive when new will prolong the car battery life and the battery will have a better response to reconditioning.
Every car and marine battery has a limited lifespan to run the power electrical systems in the car or vessel at the highest level of efficiency.
THE DEAD BATTERY EFFECT.
The efficiency of the battery reduces when used in excess and slowly decreases usually because of sulphation on the battery plates which is the most common cause of decreased battery performance in lead acid car batteries.
Sulpfation occurs when sulfur collects on the lead plates in the battery, blocking the electric current. It is not hard to recondition car battery at home by following a guide.
This stops the production of electricity passing between the plates and this is when the battery needs restoring or reconditioning.
QUICK FIX
Epsom salts, distilled water and a Voltmeter. Sulpfation does cause irreversible corrosion of the lead plates so this process will only work couple of times. It is a simple process to try and get your battery back to performing.
Test your car battery to see if it will respond to reconditioning. in order to recondition a car battery at home, it needs to register 12 volts on a voltmeter.
The car battery reads between 10 and 12 volts, you may be able to restore the battery to full operation, 10 volts or lower you most likely have one cell [2 volts] collapsed and reconditioning the battery may be a waste of time.
CAUTION:
1. Car batteries contain sulfuric acid, dangerous to humans and the environment
2. Work only in a well-ventilated area
3. do not work around or near open flames.
4. Wear safety goggles and rubber gloves.
5. If you do get acid on your skin, wash it with plenty of water immediately.
Patent encumbrance of large automotive NiMH batteries
692 days
BackgroundThe contemporary nickel-metal hydride (NiMH) electric vehicle battery was invented by Dr. Masahiko Oshitani, of the GS Yuasa Corporation, and Stanford Ovshinsky, the founder of the Ovonics Battery Business. the existing trend in the industry is towards the development of lithium-ion (Li-Ion) technologies to replace NiMH in electric vehicles. some manufacturers preserve that NiMH batteries are crucial to the commercialization of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV)s and battery electric vehicles (BEVs) due to the fact Li-Ion technologies, while functionally superior due to its greater particular energy and particular power, is prohibitively costly and relatively untested with regards to its long-term reliability. General Motors and the US Auto Battery ConsortiumThe Ovonics technology was acquired by General Motors for use in its EV1 electric car, but production was ended shortly right after the NiMH batteries began to replace the lead-acid batteries of earlier modelsIn an interview in the 2006 documentary Who Killed the Electric Vehicle?, Ovshinsky stated that in the early 1990s, the auto industry created the US Auto Battery Consortium (USABC) to stifle the development of electric vehicle technologies by preventing the dissemination of knowledge about Ovshinky’s battery-related patents to the public by means of the California Air Resources Board (CARB).According to Ovshinsky, the auto business falsely suggested that NiMH technology was not however ready for widespread use in road cars. Members of the USABC, such as General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler, threatened to take legal action against Ovshinsky if he continued to promote NiMH’s potential for use in BEVs, and if he continued to lend test batteries to Solectria, a start-up electric vehicle maker that was not component of the USABC. the Large 3 vehicle organizations argued that his behavior violated their exclusive rights to the battery technologies, because they had matched a federal government grant given to Ovonics to develop NiMH technologies. Critics argue that the Big three were more interested in convincing CARB members that electric vehicles had been not technologically and commercially viable.in 1994, General Motors acquired a controlling interest in Ovonics’s battery development and manufacture, which includes patents controlling the manufacture of big NiMH batteries. the original intent of the equity alliance was to develop NiMH batteries for GM’s EV1 BEV. Sales of GM-Ovonics batteries had been later taken over by GM manager and critic of CARB John Williams, leading Ovshinsky to wonder no matter whether his decision to sell to GM had been naive. the EV1 program was shut down by GM prior to the new NiMH battery could be commercialized, despite field tests that indicated the Ovonics battery extended the EV1′s range to over 150 miles. Chevron and CobasysBy 2001, the Ovonics technology was owned by the oil organization Chevron.in 2001, oil firm Texaco purchased General Motors’ share in GM Ovonics. Texaco was itself acquired by by rival Chevron numerous months later. the very same year, Ovonics filed a patent infringement suit against Toyota’s battery supplier, Panasonic, that ultimately succeeded in restricting the use of its significant format NiMH batteries to certain transportation uses. in 2003, Texaco Ovonics Battery Systems was restructured into Cobasys, a 50/50 joint venture between ChevronTexaco and Ovonics, now identified as Energy Conversion Devices (ECD) Ovonics. Chevron’s influence over Cobasys extends beyond a strict 50/50 joint venture. Chevron held a 19.99% interest in ECD Ovonics as of a public filing produced January 15, 2003. in a later filing on might 17, 2005, Energy Conversion Devices announced that they had exercised an alternative to obtain back 4,376,633 shares of stock from a Chevron subsidiary, and would cancel and return them to authorized-unissued status. this is the exact number of shares that was listed as owned by ChevronTexaco in the January 15, 2003 filing.ChevronTexaco also maintained veto power over any sale or licensing of NiMH technology. in addition, ChevronTexaco maintained the correct to seize all of Cobasys’ intellectual property rights in the event that ECD Ovonics did not fulfill its contractual obligations. on September 10, 2007, ChevronTexaco (now know as basically “Chevron”) filed a legal claim that ECD Ovonics had not fulfilled its obligations. ECD Ovonics disputed this claim. the arbitration hearing was repeatedly suspended although the parties negotiated with General Motors over the sale of Cobasys back to GM. as of March 2008, no agreement had been reached with GM.Cobasys contracts demonstrated that the business was willing to sell smaller NiMH batteries (less than 10 amp-hours) for use with hybrid electric vehicles (HEV). For instance, in March 2007, GM announced that it would use Cobasys NiMH batteries in the model year 2008 Chevrolet Malibu hybrid. Toyota uses NiMH batteries in all of its HEV models. Even so, Cobasys’ sales policies raised questions about its willingness to sell larger format batteries for use in EVs and PHEVs.in her 2007 book Plug-in Hybrids: the Cars that will Recharge America, Sherry Boschert argues that significant-format NiMH batteries (i.e., 25 amp-hours or much more) are commercially viable but that Cobasys would only accept extremely large orders (much more than 10,000) for these batteries. the effect is that this policy precludes modest organizations and people from getting them. It also precludes bigger auto manufacturers from creating test fleets of new PHEV and EV designs. Toyota employees complained about the difficulty in obtaining smaller orders of significant format NiMH batteries to service the existing 825 RAV4 EVs. considering that no other firms were willing to make large orders, Cobasys was not manufacturing nor licensing any significant format NiMH battery technologies for automotive purposes. Boschert quotes Dave Goldstein, president of the Electric Vehicle Association of Washington D.C., as saying this policy is necessary because the price of setting up a multimillion dollar battery assembly line could not be justified with out guaranteed orders of 100,000 batteries (~12,000 EVs) per year for three years. Boschert concludes that, “it is achievable that Cobasys (Chevron) is squelching all access to big NiMH batteries via its control of patent licenses in order to eliminate a competitor to gasoline. Or it’s probable that Cobasys just wants the market for itself and is waiting for a key automaker to commence producing plug-in hybrids or electric vehicles.”in an interview with the Economist, Ovshinsky subscribed to the former view. “I feel we at ECD made a mistake of having a joint venture with an oil firm, frankly speaking. and I feel it is not a great concept to go into company with somebody whose strategies would put you out of company, rather than building the company.” in the identical interview, nonetheless, when asked, “So it your opinion that Cobasys is preventing other people from producing it for that reason?”, he responded, “Cobasys is not preventing anybody. Cobasys just requirements an infusion of cash.”Critics also argue that historical evidence demonstrates the willingness of the oil business to engage in such anti-competitive behavior. in 1949, the U.S. Supreme Court discovered Chevron (then identified as Regular Oil of California) guilty of conspiring to acquire and dismantle the Los Angeles electric street car program, in what became identified as the Wonderful American streetcar scandal. in an effort to prevent the passage of California’s zero emission mandates in late 1993 and early 1994, oil businesses also funded a series of ads that questioned the viability of electric vehicles.Cobasys’ difficulties with other prospective clients also raised questions about the company’s sales policies. in October 2007, International Acquisitions Services, inc. and Innovative Transportation Systems AG filed suit against Cobasys and its parents for refusing to fill a significant, previously agreed-upon order for significant-format NiMH batteries to be utilized in the Innovan electric vehicle. in August 2008, Mercedes-Benz sued Cobasys for once again refusing to fill a huge, previously agreed-upon order for NiMH batteries. Existing status of the Ovonics battery technologyMultiple firms have tried to develop NiMH battery technology without having generating use of Ovonics’ patents. Electro Energy inc., working with CalCars, converted a Toyota Prius from a hybrid electric vehicle to a PHEV utilizing its own bipolar NiMH batteries. Plug-In Conversions uses Nilar NiMH batteries and the EAA-PHEV open source control system in its Prius PHEV conversions. These organizations maintain that these developments are allowable since their NiMH battery technologies are not covered by Cobasys’ patents. Even so, these batteries did not turn into commercially accessible until late 2007. the technical capabilities of current bipolar NiMH technology are also considerably much more limited than those of the ECD Ovonics technology. For example, the operating temperature range for ECD Ovonics NiMH batteries, an crucial consideration for their use in consumer road vehicles, is -30 to 70 degrees celsius, even though the operating temperature range for Nilar’s bipolar batteries is a much more limited -6 to 52 degrees celsius.on July 28, 2009, Automotive News reported that Cobasys would be bought from Chevron and Energy Conversion Devices by battery maker SB LiMotive, a joint venture of Bosch and Samsung. at the time of the 2009 Cobasys sale, control of NiMH battery technologies transferred back to ECD Ovonics. in October 2009, ECD Ovonics announced that their next-generation NiMH batteries will supply distinct energy and power that are comparable to those of lithium ion batteries at a price that is significantly lower than the price of lithium ion batteries. It is unclear no matter whether ECD Ovonics will continue to adhere to Cobasys’ prohibitive minimum order sales policy.[citation required] References^ a b Boschert, Sherry (2007-02-01). Plug-in Hybrids: the Cars that will Recharge America. Gabriola Island: New Society Publishers. ISBN: 9780865715714. newsociety.com/bookid/3934. ^ “five Points you need to know About Nickel-Metal-Hybrid Batteries”. 2008-03-07. greencar.com/articles/5-points-require-nickel-metal-hybrid-batteries.php. Retrieved 2009-10-08. ^ bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601101&sid=aI7Ov7Jyo2nU^ a b c d e Shnayerson, Michael (1996-08-27). the Car That could: the Inside Story of GM Revolutionary Electric Vehicle. Random House. pp. 194-207. ISBN: 978-0679421054. ^ Coker, M. (2003-05-15). “Dude, Wheres My Electric Auto!?!”. Orange County Weekly. ocweekly.com/2003-05-15/features/dude-where-s-my-electric-auto/four. Retrieved 2009-10-08. ^ “US SEC Form 8-K, Energy Conversion Devices, inc.”. 2004-07-07. ovonic.com/PDFs/Financial_Reports/form_8k/8k_mbi_patent_infringe_settlement_7july04.pdf. Retrieved 2007-08-08. ^ Roberson, J. (2007-03-14). “Supplier Cobasys Exploring A lot more Hybrid Batteries”. Detroit Totally free Press. oesa.org/publications/articledetail.php?articleId=6398. Retrieved 2009-10-08. ^ “ECD Ovonics Definitive Proxy Statement”. 2003-01-15. investor.shareholder.com/ovonics/secfiling.cfm?filingID=32878-03-4. Retrieved 2009-10-08. ^ “ENERGY CONVERSION DEVICES, INC. Form 8K Current Report”. 2005-05-17. investor.shareholder.com/ovonics/secfiling.cfm?filingID=32878-05-58. Retrieved 2009-10-08. ^ a b “ECD Ovonics Amended General Statement of Beneficial Ownership”. 2004-12-02. investor.shareholder.com/ovonics/secfiling.cfm?filingID=950134-04-18744. Retrieved 2009-10-08. ^ “ECD Ovonics 10-Q Quarterly Report for the period ending September 30, 2007″. 2007-09-30. investor.shareholder.com/ovonics/secfiling.cfm?filingID=32878-07-93. Retrieved 2009-10-08. ^ a b “ECD Ovonics 10-Q Quarterly Report for the period ending March 31, 2008″. 2008-03-31. investor.shareholder.com/ovonics/secfiling.cfm?filingID=32878-08-30. Retrieved 2009-10-08. ^ cobasys.com/news/20070313.shtml^ Greenberg J. (2008-10-14). “the Edison of our Age: Stan Ovshinsky and the Future of Energy [Video Interview Component 1"]. the Energy Roadmap. theenergyroadmap.com/futureblogger/show/1030-stanford-ovshinsky-and-the-future-of-energy-interview-component-1. Retrieved 2009-10-08. ^ Hicks, Robert Eldridge (1973) Politics of land: Ralph Nader’s study group report on land use in California, pp. 410412, 488. Compiled by Robert C. Fellmeth, Center for Study of Responsive Law. Grossman Publishers.^ wot.motortrend.com/6278400/auto-news/mercedes-sues-cobasys-battery-supplier-ml450-hybrid-suv-delayed/index.html^ CalCars news “Electro Energy announces CalCars project”. 2005-10-20. calcars.org/calcars-news/175.html CalCars news. Retrieved 2009-10-08. ^ Sebastian Blanco (2007-12-11). “EVS23: Kim Adelman’s Plug-in Prius with Nilar nickel-metal hydride batteries”. autobloggreen. green.autoblog.com/2007/12/11/evs23-ken-adelmans-plug-in-prius-with-nilar-nickel-metal-hydri/. Retrieved 2009-11-18. ^ ovonic.com/PDFs/ovonic-materials/Ovonic-Fetcenko-2008-Wolsky-Seminar.pdf^ evworld.com/article.cfm?storyid=1403^ “Battery venture buys Cobasys”. 2009-07-28. reviews.cnet.com/8301-13746_7-10296368-48.html. Retrieved 2009-10-08. ^ Michael Fetcenko (2009-10-01). “Ovonic NiMH trong now, Room for Growth”. Ovonic. ovonics.com/PDFs/Batteries2009OctoberNiceConference.pdf. Retrieved 2009-11-18. ^ ovonics.com/PDFs/Batteries2009OctoberNiceConference.pdf Categories: Automotive technologies | Conspiracy theories | Corporate scandals | NiMH batteriesHidden categories: Automobiles articles needing professional attention | Articles needing expert attention from February 2010 | All articles needing professional attention | All articles with unsourced statements | Articles with unsourced statements