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Technology Stocks : Energy Conversion Devices -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Allen Bucholski who wrote (8203)	8/15/2006 12:07:54 AM
From: Krowbar	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 8393

Dell to recall 4.1M laptop batteries DALLAS - Dell Inc. said Monday it will recall 4.1 million notebook computer batteries made by Sony Corp (NYSE:SNE - news). because they can overheat and catch fire. Round Rock-based Dell negotiated conditions of the recall with the federal Consumer Product Safety Commission, which called it the largest electronics-related recall ever involving the agency. A Dell spokesman said the Sony batteries were placed in notebooks that were shipped between April 1, 2004, and July 18 of this year. "In rare cases, a short-circuit could cause the battery to overheat, causing a risk of smoke and/or fire," said the spokesman, Ira Williams. "It happens in rare cases, but we opted to take this broad action immediately." The battery packs were included in some models of Dell's Latitude, Inspiron, XPS and precision mobile workstation notebooks. Dell planned to launch a Web site overnight that would describe the affected models. Williams said the Web site would tell consumers how to get free replacement batteries from Dell. Rick Clancy, a Sony spokesman, said the companies have studied problems with the battery packs intensely for more than a month, after getting reports of about a half-dozen fires or smoking laptops in the United States. Lithium-ion batteries have been around for about a decade and are used in devices such as cell phones and digital music players. Clancy said tiny metallic particles sometimes short-circuit the battery cells, adding that configuration in an electronic device can contribute to problems. "But it begins with the (battery) cell, and we acknowledge that," he said. "That's why we're supporting Dell in this recall." Clancy said Sony would help Dell pay for the recall, but neither he nor Dell officials would estimate the campaign's price tag or say how the companies would divide the cost. The larger potential cost for Dell is that such a huge recall could dampen future notebook sales. Dell rival Hewlett-Packard Co. said it does not use Sony batteries and was not affected by the recall. Apple Computer Inc. is investigating whether its notebook batteries meet safety and performance standards, spokeswoman Lynn Fox said. There have been numerous recent news reports about Dell laptops bursting into flames, and pictures of some of the charred machines have circulated on the Internet. Dell, the world's largest maker of personal computers, confirmed that two weeks ago, one of its laptops caught fire in Illinois, and the owner dunked it in water to douse the flames. Other reports have surfaced from as far away as Japan and Singapore. Monday's move was at least the third recall of Dell notebook batteries in the past five years. Dell recalled 22,000 notebook computer batteries last December after symptoms that were similar to those that prompted Monday's recall. The company also recalled 284,000 batteries in 2001. Consumers with affected laptops should only run the machines on a power cord, said Scott Wolfson, a spokesman for the Consumer Product Safety Commission. The safety agency knows of 339 incidents in which lithium batteries used in laptops and cell phones — not just Dell products — overheated between 2003 and 2005, Wolfson said. The list of incidents ranges from smoke and minor skin burns to actual injuries and property damage, Wolfson said. Most of the incidents reported to the CPSC occurred around the home, but transportation-safety officials have become increasingly concerned about the threat of a laptop causing a catastrophic fire aboard a commercial jetliner. For Dell, the recall comes as it battles other questions about quality and customer service. Last year, Dell absorbed a charge against earnings of $338 million to repair faulty computer components. Dell's sales have grown this year, but less rapidly, causing shares in the company to lose nearly one-half their value in the past 52 weeks. The shares closed Monday — before news of the recall — at $21.24, up 17 cents on the Nasdaq Stock Market. They fell 24 cents in after-hours trading. ***************** Ahem... I posted this 2 years ago after Apple had to recall 28,000 Lithium ion batteries. "Followers of ENER know that those would be Lithium batteries, but the article doesn't mention that. How long before a Lithium powered device goes up in smoke on an airliner? Is that what it will take before they are banned? The volatility of Lithium is an inherent problem. NiMH batteries pose no such risk." Message 20427143 Del

To: Allen Bucholski who wrote (8203)	9/19/2006 11:13:29 PM
From: jacq	Respond to of 8393

I bought a few shares of INCO just because I wanted to track how much nickel mat the comapny was producing for NiMH batteries. Inco mentioned producing some in Ireland I believe. They did talk somewhat about the battery business a while back. I haven't heard much recently. I am a big shareholder in Nordex Explosives (NXX:TSX)near the 20% level. For a while they were our biggest customer with our sales to them being 68%. Since then we have added several other accounts. By and large they have been a top notch company to deal with. They helped us get the Cone Pak sales up and running. Nickel demand from China has been the biggest driver, construction projects such as all the heavy equipment in Fort McMurray Alberta have also increased demand. I will have to start looking at a tonnage figure for ECD's new solar lines. I would imagine that we will soon begin producing on sub 5 mil sheeting once we get to a certain size level. I would also think that cost is putting a squeeze on profit margins for NiMH batteries, because the battery price keeps dropping

To: Allen Bucholski who wrote (8203)	10/22/2006 5:17:38 PM
From: SolarGal	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 8393

Hi, Allen Thanks for the post re: sharing the lithium battery post with ECD. There certainly is a lot of fascinating research being done concerning batteries and solar. I am working on a post to follow shortly from MIT TEchnology Reviews battery and photovoltaic news since that batch of posts. There are several news items from Technology Review since July. ALso will send a shorter post of interesting related news. As with this response you will see I am a bit behind in responding (my apologies!). I wonder what meaning it all has in relation to Ovonic endeavors??