SANYO Develops and will Start Mass Production of the Industry's Smallest*1"Pin Type Lithium ion Batteries"! This new thin design will contribute to even smaller mobile devices


	16.March.2005

SANYO Develops and will Start Mass Production
of the Industry's Smallest ^*1"Pin Type Lithium ion Batteries"!
This new thin design will contribute to even smaller mobile devices

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Tokyo, March 16, 2005---SANYO Electric Co., Ltd. (SANYO), the world’s leader of small-sized
rechargeable batteries, announced the development and the start of mass production of “pin type
Lithium ion batteries”, a thinly shaped rechargeable battery.

Following the recent advancement of mobile devices, the demands for batteries which enable design
flexibility and further compactness of mobile devices, while maintaining the excellent features of
Lithium ion batteries such as “high energy density”, “high safety” and “high voltage”, have increased
year after year. To meet these market needs, SANYO has developed the industry’s smallest*1 “pin type
Lithium ion batteries (UR655)” and will start mass production.

SANYO will sell a new model (UR655), in the summer of 2005 and will expand the adoption of “pin
type Lithium ion batteries” to other models as well, to create new application markets.

Main features

1.	Reduced the size (about half the volume of AAA batteries and one-quarter of AA batteries) while maintaining great battery characteristics by adopting original new battery structure!
2.	Able to reduce the weight and volume of mobile devices by adopting aluminum alloy case and simplifying the protection circuit!

New Model Specifications (UR655)

Product	Lithium ion Battery
Configuration	Pin type
Model Number	UR655
Battery Capacity (guarantee performance)	120 mAh
Charging Voltage (maximum)	4.2 V
Size^*2	6.8(diameter)mm X 55(height) mm
Weight (maximum)	5g
Volumetric Energy Density	243 Wh/l
Gravimetric Energy Density	89 Wh/kg
Start of Shipment	Summer of 2005
Initial Month Production	100,000 Units

*1: SANYO research as of Mar. 15, 2005. Excluding batteries for back up use
*2: Batteries’ maximum size when they are shipped.

Background

Lithium ion batteries have been adopted in various mobile devices beginning with mobile phones
followed by laptop computers, digital cameras and PDAs. This market has shown rapid growth year
after year.

SANYO in April 1994 started mass production of Lithium ion batteries using Carbon materials for the
negative electrode and Lithium Cobalt Oxide for the positive electrode. In 1995 SANYO developed a
Prismatic Lithium ion battery using an aluminum alloy case, and took a jump on the industry with
mass production and sales. The merit of a Carbon negative electrode is its even discharge
characteristic and by utilizing the aluminum alloy case the battery is smaller and lighter. This met
market needs and became the de facto standard. SANYO applied these strengths to its Prismatic
Lithium ion battery and it was widely accepted by the mobile devices market and SANYO captured a
large share of the market.

At the same time, new types of small electronic devices such as MP3 players, wireless headsets for
mobile phones and electronic pens have came onto the market. Following this situation, the demands
for smaller batteries that take advantage of their excellent features such as “high energy density”,
“high safety” and “high voltage” have been increasing year after year.

To meet these market needs, SANYO has achieved the development of the industry’s smallest “pin
type Lithium ion battery (UR655)”. This model is also the industry’s first^*3 pin type rechargeable
battery. SANYO expects strong demand for “pin type Lithium ion batteries” as the market of
electronic devices expands. SANYO will sell this new model (UR655), in the summer of 2005 and
will expand the business of “pin type Lithium ion batteries” by adopting the pin form to other models.

Main Features

Reduced the size (about half the volume of AAA batteries and one-quarter of AA batteries)
while maintaining great battery characteristics by adopting original new battery structure!

SANYO has succeeded in making the diameter of “pin type Lithium batteries” smaller by uniting a
battery terminal and a shaft which is used for the rolling up process of battery polar plates and
separators. This structure enables minimization of capacity loss and dramatically reduced the
battery size (about one-quarter^*4) compared to conventional lithium ion battery technology. The shaft has functions of both the negative terminal and the battery cap which helps to simplify battery components.
Moreover, “pin type Lithium ion batteries” inherit Lithium ion batteries’ excellent features such as
“high energy density” and “high rate discharge”, by adopting the same polar plate structure and
composition of cylindrical Lithium ion batteries. Such excellent features are difficult to realize with
coin type batteries. SANYO expects expansion of “pin type Lithium ion batteries” to many kinds of
applications such as MP3 players which require high energy density, bridge batteries for laptop
computers and wireless communication equipment like wireless headsets which require a high rate
discharge.

Able to reduce the weight and volume of mobile devices by adopting aluminum alloy case andsimplifying the protection circuit!

Batteries for small mobile devices are required to be compact, lightweight and highly reliable.
SANYO adopts not an aluminum laminated film but an aluminum alloy case which has been used for prismatic Lithium ion batteries, which keeps safety equivalent to that of conventional Lithium ion batteries.

Using “pin type Lithium ion batteries”, it is possible to simplify the protection circuit while
maintaining reliability as well as reducing the weight of the battery. As a result, “pin type Lithium ion batteries” enable mobile devices to be smaller, lightweight and highly reliable.
In terms of volume, “pin type Lithium ion batteries” are about half the volume of AAA dry cell
batteries and about one-quarter of AA dry cell batteries. Thanks to its original shape, it is possible to set “pin type Lithium ion batteries” on the surface of the circuit board, on the edge of the circuit board and even in open spaces where prismatic Lithium ion batteries and Lithium polymer batteries are incapable of being set. SANYO believes that “pin type Lithium ion batteries” dramatically enhances design flexibility of small mobile devices.

*3: SANYO research as of Mar. 15, 2005
*4: Compared to UF14500P

For Further Information

SANYO Electric Co., Ltd.
Components Business Group
Mobile Energy Company
Ion Technology Business Unit
Technical Service Department (Mr. Nagaya)
Tel: +81-(0)799-23-2927
E-Mail: nagaya@sm.energy.sanyo.co.jp