Battery Comparison
A rechargeable nickel zinc battery will compete with cells such as Nickel Cadmium (Ni-Cd), Lithium-ion (Li-Ion), Nickel Metal Hydride (Ni-MH), and Lead Acid. Lead Acid and Nickel-Metal Hydride should be the nearest to Nickel-Zinc in cost and performance, but the Xellerion Nickel-Zinc battery is superior to all of these cells as shown below.

   Comparison of Nickel Zinc to competing battery technologies
 
Type
Status
Specific Energy(Wh/kg) Acid
Peak Power(W/kg)
Cycle Life(#cycles)100% DOD*
Charge Time(100%)(Hr)
Cost($kWh)
Environmental Friendly?
VRLA Lead Acid
Commercial
30-40
150-200+
100-200
3-20
100-250
No
Ni-Cad
Commercial
20-50
100-1000
800-3000
3-8
800-1000
No
Ni-MH
Commercial
50-80
200-1000
600-1200
3-8
1000-1300
Yes
Li-Ion
Commercial
100-150
<1000
600-1200
3-8
1500-3000
Yes
Ni-Zn
Development
55-65
500-800
300-500
1-4
150-500
Yes
 
  *Depth of Discharge


The toxicity of cadmium, a known carcinogen, and lack of established disposal systems have resulted in announcement by the European Union that Nickel Cadmium (Ni-Cd) batteries will be banned in the next 3-5 years. Lithium-ion (Li-Ion) batteries are ten times more expensive than other technologies, including Nickel-Zinc. Commonly recognized safety issues, such as leakage and explosion, reduce the potential uses of Lithium-Ion batteries, especially in high power applications.

This risk is lowered, but not eliminated, by sophisticated and costly controlling circuits in lithium-ion batteries today. The power and energy characteristics of Nickel Metal Hydride (Ni-MH) batteries are comparable to those of Ni-Zn cells, but Ni-MH cells are two to three times more expensive to manufacture. Ni-MH batteries are also difficult to produce in large form factors and exhibit the undesirable "memory effect."

 
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