Throwaway batteries

Calling a cellular phone “wireless” is misleading in Michael Levinson’s book. Downright deceptive, come to think of it.

Levinson is out to change all of that. His company, Electric Fuel Corp., will introduce a new Zinc-based disposable battery that could, in effect, untether your portable from a power line.

This spring, Electric Fuel will roll out five new throwaway models for the Nokia 5100 and 6100 series, the Ericsson 300, 600 and 800 series, the Motorola MicroTAC and two flavors for the Motorola StarTAC series. They’ll be available at its Web site and through a network of distributors in the United States.

What’s so special about a disposable battery?

Electric Fuel claims theirs is the first of its kind (it’s filed in excess of 30 patents on the technology). Plus, the specs are pretty impressive: the units are cheaper, lighter and carry more of a charge than the rechargeables. On an analog network, the Electric Fuel batteries are good for a week, assuming the phone is turned on 12 hours every day. A rechargeable Lithium-Ion battery, by contrast, offers about a day’s worth of juice, while a Nickel-Cadmium holds roughly half that. Look for prices of around $10 per unit within a year of the disposable’s introduction (that compares with $30 for a Nickel-Cadmium unit and upward of $120 for a Lithium-Ion battery.) Of course, the rechargeables last significantly longer if you plug them in; they’re good for about a year’s worth of use.

The Electric Fuel batteries are also said to be safer than the average rechargeable. “There’s no volatile material in the battery,” says Levinson. “Even if you successfully short one, it would heat up only to a moderate temperature and then stop. It won’t explode.”

So if someone offered to swap your heavy, cumbersome rechargeable battery for a lighter, stronger and safer disposable, what would you do? It’s a no-brainer, right?

Not so fast.

Ken Hawk describes the new batteries as “good for emergency use, but impractical for daily use.” He should know. As “Chief Energizing Officer” at 1-800-Batteries it’s his business to determine what separates rechargeables from disposables.

“They’re not economical for everyday use,” he says, noting that if you used a disposable every day, you’d spend several hundred dollars per year on replacements.

Jeff Turner, who runs cellular rental company InTouch USA Inc. has tested the throwaway. He agrees that users will probably think of it as an emergency-use battery, but “really, I think it’s for a power user.”

“Think of it,” he says. “You go on a trip. You leave your recharger behind. You can almost leave your phone on without worrying about it.”

This might be a good time to mention the environmental concerns raised by Electric Fuel’s new product.

In an era of disposable contact lenses and disposable cameras, what are a few more disposable batteries? Well, with cell phones selling like hotcakes — Ericsson’s Jan Ahrenbring predicts a future household with a cell phone for “every family member but the dog” — it’s just a matter of time before the batteries begin to stack up. Electric Fuel insists that the only challenge is finding adequate landfill space for the units. Other than that, it says, the disposables are harmless. I’m not an expert on batteries, and I’m as much of environmentalist as I am an anarchist (in other words, only when it’s convenient). But as someone who spent a year living less than a mile from a landfill — upwind, fortunately — I find the idea of a throwaway battery slightly disturbing. Electric Fuel wants to expand its concept to minicam batteries and, eventually, laptop batteries.

That’s a lot of batteries.

I wish a company with the brain power of Electric Fuel could set its sights on creating a rechargeable battery that, God forbid, actually held its charge for a while. I can’t help but recall a scene from last summer’s blockbuster Lethal Weapon IV in which Mel Gibson, Danny Glover, Joe Pesci and Chris Rock lament the sorry state of rechargeables on cellular phones. I imagine the frequent travelers in the audience didn’t find much to laugh about.

Electric Fuel should be applauded for painting outside the lines with its new batteries. Although its new disposable seems to be treating the symptoms instead than finding a cure for travelers’ power needs, I think it’s a step in the right direction. I can’t wait to see what’s next.

Christopher Elliott is the author of Scammed: How to Save Your Money and Find Better Service in a World of Schemes, Swindles, and Shady Deals. Critics have called it “eye-opening” and “inspiring” — it’ll “grab your attention and won’t let go.” Order your copy now on Amazon, Barnes & Noble or iTunes.

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