Sustainable Innovation: The ECO USBCELL battery

Throughout the month of February, we are focusing on the innovative side of engineering, and where better to start than at last month’s Consumer Electronics and Technology Show in Las Vegas?

Taking home the accolade of CES 2016 Innovation Award for Eco-Design and Sustainable Technologies were Pilot Electronics, with the fully rechargeable, lithium polymer, USB battery. The battery itself, coming in both the regular AA and the somewhat tinier AAA versions, can be recharged simply by removing its cap to reveal a standard USB connector, which then plugs into the USB port of any computer, laptop or wall charger. The cap, once removed, snaps magnetically to the base of the battery while charging, and a built-in LED indicator lets you known when your batteries are ready to go again.

In a bid towards sustainability, the ECO USBCELL^TM aims to replace some 3.5billion traditional, single-use Alkaline and Nickel Cadmium batteries that are thrown away each year, while the chemical composition of the USBCELL^TM offers higher performance and longer-lasting life than other rechargeables on the market. By using an advanced lithium polymer technology, the batteries are able to completely recharge in just two hours, that’s three times faster than regular rechargeable batteries. They may be successfully recharged more than 500 times, with minimal degradation of battery capacity during recharge.

Speaking on their recent win at the CES awards in Las Vegas, Calvin Wang, CEO and President of Pilot Inc., said “When the ECO USBCELL^TM battery was originally conceived, we expected that it could be a game-changer in the single-use disposable battery market. To receive such highly coveted recognition by such a prestigious organization is not only a tremendous honour, but is also very encouraging.”A chemical engineer by training, Wang is a serial innovator, holding dozens of patents, and spending the better part of each year conceiving and developing new products in Shenzhen, China. When asked what inspired the development of the eco battery, Wang said “Billions of single-use batteries are discarded each year, and every ECO USBCELL^TM battery can displace 500 regular batteries. This product can make a difference in our future, and the future of our children – and that is important.”