Portable NiCd- and Ni-MH-batteries for telecom applications

The expanding number of battery operated products has widely increased the demand for sealed NiCd-batteries. The NiCd-battery system has been well established for more than 4 decades since the introduction into the market by VARTA with the first main application, the pocket-light. Now this system can be substituted in certain applications by a system not using cadmium as an electrode material: The NiMH-battery. This favours the environment because if these new batteries are not returned when spent for recycling no cadmium can be exposed to the environment when disposed of in landfills with the normal household waste. The paper gives a comparison of design and performance data, information on life cycles, safety requirements, reliability, care and handling. Economical and ecological aspects are mentioned such as return and recycling requirements. The outlook on further possible developments are given.