The recollection of most 6 million notebook PC battery by Dell and Apple in August , and more than 500,000 by Lenovo and 830,000 by Toshiba in September due to fervour risk has caused many people to see double at their computer batteries . However , few alternative to today ’s lithium ion batteries exist yet : prognosticate fuel cell technology for notebooks persist stuck in research labs .
The Dell and Apple recalls , which followed on-line depiction offlaming Dell laptops , were telling both for their size and scope . The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission call in the initial Dell recall the largest consumer electronics reminiscence in history , affecting microcomputer shipped worldwide .
Sony Energy Tech , which fabricate all the battery in dubiousness , points to problems with cells , several of which are hold in in each barrage plurality . Sony accepts some province and says it will facilitate pay for the callback — which could be the company up to $ 250 million — but the root effort of the problem rest undecipherable .
Sony points to petite metallic particle present inside the bombardment after manufacturing . If those particle punctured a cell wall , they could cause a forgetful circuit and thus a flame , the fellowship says .
“ You seek to eliminate that in the fabrication process , but to rid of them 100 percent is very difficult , ” allege Rick Clancy , a spokesman for Sony . “ Usually when you have a short circle , it might lead to a battery powering down , so you ’d have a dead assault and battery , but other times it could lead to incidents including flame . “
The troubles incite theIPC(a swop association represent part makers ) to begin work in September on a new manufacture standard for Li ion battery production and character ascendance . Dell , Hewlett - Packard , Lenovo and Polycom , among others , are help craft the standard .
“ Our content is that public prophylactic comes first , ” says Tony Corkell , timber and standard executive director at Lenovo . The group aims to publish the standard by the second quartern of 2007 .
The recalls have also prompted the question , is there a better alternative to lithium ion ? Not right now , but maybe in a few eld . Vendors such as Panasonic and Casio continue to explore fuel cell technology .
Panasonic still claims atomic number 3 ion is a “ very good technology ” but is also work on fuel cells , says Brian Kimberlin , director of consumer marketing at Panasonic Battery Corp. of America .
Fuel cells can typically keep a personal computer running for several hour on a low jet of wood spirit . originally this year in Tokyo , Casio demonstrated a fuel electric cell for notebook PC , former versions of which the caller said would ship in 2007 . Casio claims the epitome could work about four times longer than a comparably sized lithium ion battery .
Many laptop computer makers are pursuing the applied science , but it remains too unripened for commercialization . Also , the airline industry has yet to approve fuel cells for function aboard planes . Despite earlier predictions by some laptop trafficker that fuel cubicle – power machines would be on sale by now , they remain a twelvemonth or more away from shipping .
