Panasonic Corp. (PC) said it has developed 2 new 18650-type high-capacity lithium-ion battery cells for use in notebook personal computers, electric cars and environmentally-friendly energy technologies.
Also, Panasonic noted that the two battery cells can extend the operating time of laptop computers and power electric vehicles, when assembled in a module.
Currently, the company is testing a battery module that is constructed from many pieces of 18650-type battery cells, according to the statement.
Moreover, the company plans to start mass production of the 3.4- ampere hours cell in the year ending March 2012 and the 4-ampere hours model, with higher capacity, the following year.
Additionally, in a separate statement, Panasonic announced the development of a direct methanol fuel cell system, with average power output of 20 W, by means of raising the output per cubic centimeter twice that of its prior prototype.
The company, by making use of this technology, aims to develop a 100 W-class portable generator and start field testing in the year ending March 2012.
Panasonic added that it has successfully doubled the average power output to 20 W by improving the stack technology, while retaining the same volume with the preceding prototype.
Further, Osaka-based Panasonic noted that the new fuel cell system is capable of 5,000 hours of durability, based on 8-hour intermittent use per day. As a next step, the company intends to develop a portable generator with an average output of 100 W that will be much more compact than engine-generators.
By combining the fuel cell generator with its high-capacity lithium-ion battery module, Panasonic aims to bring an outdoor power source integrating energy-creation and energy-storage functions to the market.
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