Saft batteries make major breakthroughs in the Asian market for electricity meters

Saft, the world’s leading designer and manufacturer of advanced technology batteries for industry, has won contracts to supply around five million of its Eternacell branded primary lithium cells to leading OEMs for electricity metering projects in China, India and Taiwan. The contracts represent a significant commercial breakthrough for the Eternacell brand developed specifically for utility metering applications in emerging economies, where the cells offer a unique combination of value for money, performance and long life.

For these latest contracts, Saft is supplying Eternacell ER 14250 cells, a 1/2AA format that offers a nominal voltage of 3.6 V and a nominal capacity of 1.2 Ah. Saft has optimized the Eternacell design to provide a 10+ year life to power real-time microprocessor clock and memory backup functions for new generation of electricity meters in emerging economies. The cells can maintain typical currents for electricity meters with a wide operating temperature covering any outdoor condition. They provide exceptional shelf and standby life thanks to a low self discharge of less than one percent per year (at +20°C).

Manufactured at Saft’s Zhuhai China facility to the most exacting quality procedures, the Eternacell cells feature Saft’s well proven lithium-thionyl chloride (Li-SOCl₂ ) chemistry refined over decades of experience in  metering applications.

Saft is the world leader in batteries for metering applications with about 45% market share. It has used field and laboratory data collected over more than 30 years to develop a unique life‐time model that enables the expected life of primary cells in this demanding application to be predicted accurately by considering the specific utilization profile. Data used by this model includes base current, pulse currents, cut‐off voltage and temperature range. Calculated results are combined with results from bench tests, which sometime require years to conduct, to produce the most accurate life prediction.

About Saft

Saft (Euronext: Saft) is a world leading designer and manufacturer of advanced technology batteries for industry. The Group is the world’s leading manufacturer of nickel batteries and primary lithium batteries for the industrial infrastructure and processes, transportation, civil and military electronics’ markets. Saft is the world leader in space and defence batteries with its Li-ion technologies which are also deployed in the energy storage, transportation and telecommunication network markets. More than 4,000 employees in 18 countries, 14 manufacturing sites and an extensive sales network all contribute to accelerating the Group’s growth for the future. Saft batteries. Designed for industry. www.saftbatteries.com