Osaka, Aug 9, 2009 - (JCN Newswire) - Panasonic Corporation today announced that its EVOLTA batteries powered a tricycle robot to achieve a Guinness World Record(TM) on August 6 at the Le Mans Circuit in France. This is the second Guinness World Record for the EVOLTA battery which was already recognized as "the longest lasting AA alkaline battery"* in January 2008.
The new honor is based on the robot's challenge for the 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race. The robot on a tricycle with a pair of AA size EVOLTA dry cell batteries on its back kept pedaling non-stop, following an infrared beam from a lead car, for about 5.6 laps - 23.726 kmor 14.82 miles - around the 4.2 km Le Mans race circuit for 24 hours. Guinness World Records recognized the feat as "the longest distance covered by a battery-operated remote-controlled model car." The robot, measuring 30 (L) x 20 (W) x 20 (H) cm including the tricycle, was designed by a renowned robot creator, Mr. Tomotaka Takahashi.
The Le Mans challenge was the second endurance test for the EVOLTA battery, whose name derived from "evolution" and "voltage." The first test confirmed its durability when the humanoid robot, also powered by two AA EVOLTA batteries, successfully scaled a Grand Canyon cliff by climbing up a 530.4 m rope suspended from the cliff in about 6 hours and 46 minutes.
Widely recognized for its durability and long shelf-life of up to 10 years, 180 million EVOLTA batteries were sold worldwide in 2008 since its debut in the Japanese market in April 2008. Panasonic expects its global sales will increase to 300 million pieces in 2009.
The EVOLTA batteries are suitable for any application from low-current applications such as TV remotes to high-drain applications like digital cameras. Coming in four different types, AA, AAA, C and D, they can be used for a wide variety of equipment. The EVOLTA series rechargeable batteries (AA, AAA) were also introduced in Japan last October.
* Based on testing that followed industry-standard protocols issued by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) as of January 15, 2008. The test result still holds true based on the latest ANSI and IEC testing as of March 2009.
(TM) Le Mans 24 Hours Limited 1968.
About Panasonic
Panasonic Corporation is a worldwide leader in the development and manufacture of electronic products for a wide range of consumer, business, and industrial needs. Based in Osaka, Japan, the company recorded consolidated net sales of 7.77 trillion yen (US$78.4 billion) for the year ended March 31, 2009. The company's shares are listed on the Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya and New York (NYSE: PC) stock exchanges. For more information on the company and the Panasonic brand, visit the company's website at http://panasonic.net/.
Contact:
Akira Kadota,
International PR
Panasonic Corporation
Tel: +81-3-6403-3040
Fax: +81-3-3436-6766
Panasonic News Bureau
Tel: +81-3-3542-6205
Fax: +81-3-3542-9018
Aug 9, 2009
Source: Panasonic
Panasonic (TSE: 6752) (U.S: PC)
From the Japan Corporate News Network
http://www.japancorp.net
Topic: Press release summary
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