Panasonic’s Evolta Batteries Snag Record

If you're looking for "longest lasting AA alkaline battery cell," Panasonic claims they've got it - and they're bringing it stateside.

It’s always a little disconcerting when someone claims a Guinness world record that didn’t actually exist before they seized it, but in the case of Panasonic’s new Evolta alkaline batteries, the category at least sounds legitimate. The company claims (and Guinness confirms) that Evolta is the “longest lasting AA alkaline battery cell” in more devices. And they’re finally coming to the States.

Panasonic backs this claim up with a number of tests pitting the Evolta batteries against its old alkaline cells. For instance, in a digital camera, the batteries produced 63 more shots before dying. In an FM radio, they played 14 hours longer. And in a radio-controlled car, they drove it 8.7 miles farther.

How did Panasonic manage to milk more life out of such an old technology? The company claims that a new structure allowed it to pack more active materials (the chemicals that generate electricity) into the cell, and distribute them more evenly and densely for the best reaction.

Although Evolta batteries have been around in Japan since April, Panasonic will bring them to the United States for the first time in October. They’ll retail for slightly more than the existing Panasonic Alkaline Plus models: $5 in a four-pack, or $9 in an eight-pack.