Imagine using an electric shaver back in the 1970s and 80s. Your shaver worked only when plugged into the wall socket or loaded with alkaline batteries. Out in the yard, lawnmowers were either powered by gasoline or human power. Inside, you could only run the vacuum by plugging it in. All of these same products can be powered by rechargeable batteries today.
We sure have come a long way in battery technology over the last 40 years. Single use alkaline batteries were followed decades ago by rechargeable NiCad models. Those have since been replaced by modern lithium ion batteries that pack more punch and last longer.
Advances in lithium ion battery technology are what make it possible for so many electrically powered devices to be chargeable in the 21st century. They are also likely to bring about the advent of the all-electric vehicle as a complete and total replacement of gasoline- and diesel-powered cars.
The Need for Portability
Understanding the ‘whys’ behind our current obsession with rechargeable devices is quite a study in anthropology. It starts with a single concept: portability. The whole point of coming up with a battery is to be able to power something without having to do so manually or plug it into a wall outlet.
The car battery eliminated the need to hand-crank the engine. The alkaline battery eliminated the need to plug in everything from transistor radios to calculators. Eliminating both manual power generation and electrical sockets gives us portability. Moreover, the idea of portability is the fuel that drives our incredibly mobile society.
Protecting the Environment
Portability alone does not explain why so many modern devices are chargeable. There are a couple of additional factors, including a desire to protect the environment. We can talk about two things in this regard: reducing single-use batteries and getting away from fossil fuels.
Pale Blue Earth is Utah company on a mission to completely replace alkaline batteries with USB rechargeable lithium batteries. One of their primary motivations is keeping alkaline batteries out of landfills. They say that one of their lithium ion batteries can replace up to 4,000 alkaline batteries. That is a lot of batteries not going into landfills.
In terms of getting away from fossil fuels, take a look in your garage or backyard shed. A rechargeable electric mower can replace a gasoline-powered lawnmower. The same is true for your string trimmer and leaf blower. There is no need to burn gas when all of those devices can be powered with rechargeable batteries.
Saving Consumers Money
One last thing contributing to our chargeable society is the idea of saving money. Companies like Pale Blue Earth have discovered they can save consumers a ton by convincing them to switch to rechargeable products. Just switching to rechargeable AA batteries could save a regular battery user thousands of dollars annually.
Imagine your cell phone being powered by single use alkaline batteries. Knowing how many times you charge your phone, you would probably go broke trying to keep it going with alkalines. Thankfully your phone is powered by a rechargeable lithium ion battery. Going rechargeable is the only way manufacturers can make their phones affordable to own.
More and more devices are chargeable these days. From electric shavers to lawnmowers and vacuum cleaners, lithium-ion batteries make us portable, more environmentally conscious, and more economical. Who knows what the next generation of rechargeable batteries will bring? Perhaps there is coming a day when our homes will not have any electric outlets at all. Now wouldn’t that be something?
