Battery Industry Explosion - Reasons For Staggering Battery Sales Growth In Recent Years

Battery Industry Explosion - Reasons For Staggering Battery Sales Growth In Recent Years

The battery industry has exploded in recent years. Battery sales have skyrocketed due to a number of factors. Consider the following:

1. 32 times growth in 5 years - The small rechargeable battery industry has more than doubled worldwide every year for the past 5 years. This market would generally be the smaller-sized lithium-ion, nickel metal hydride (NiMH), and nickel-cadmium (NiCad) batteries which are used in small electrical and electronic devices like cell phones, PDAs, MP3 players, cordless power tools, etc. This double growth for five years totals to 32 times growth. Wow! And considering that the battery market was quite large 5 years ago, that 32 times growth statistic is even more staggering.

2. Growth everywhere - As far as segments of the battery market go, the small rechargeable batteries have grown the most, but the whole gamut of battery sizes and chemistries has grown significantly in recent years. Each year, our world becomes more and more computerized and dependent on electrical and electronic systems, many of which are dependent on battery systems of one sort or another.

3. Cell phones - By thinking about the growth of cell phones in recent years, we can get a feel for why the industry has exploded in the last 5 years. Virtually all new cell phones being produced now use rechargeable lithium-ion batteries. Cell phones were fairly common 5 years ago many people owned one, but many still did not. Back then a cell phone was considered to be somewhat of a luxury item. Today, we are quite surprised when we run into any person who does not have at least one cell phone. They have become a basic necessity. My mother is old-fashioned in many ways, and not into technology. She continually surprised friends and relatives when they asked for her cell phone number, by replying "I don't have one." And now, even mom has a cell phone. She got it last year. If the truth be known, it was actually my brother who tired of telling her that she should get a cell phone. He gave her a phone and put her on his plan.

4. Large companies - As large companies continue to become more computerized, they have found that centralizing their critical computer systems significantly reduces costs. These large corporations have been moving scattered computer systems into large data centers with huge rooms stacked from floor to ceiling with computers and equipment. These data centers rely on enormous UPS battery systems (Uninterruptible Power Supply backup battery systems) so that they can operate in blackout or brownout conditions. Smart companies will not leave the fate of their "brains" completely in the hands of the power companies. These APC battery systems are an important part of their overall risk management strategy.

5. Alarm batteries - With growing security and safety concerns today, many families are installing alarm systems. These systems all need an alarm battery to provide power to the alarm if the power is interrupted. The alarm system would be of little use if a burglar could disable it by turning off the power at the main circuit breaker, which in many houses is easily accessible from the outside of the house. The alarm battery addresses this issue.

6. Hybrid automobiles - With concerns for our environment growing in recent years, hybrid automobiles have become extremely popular. Hybrids by definition are dependent on large batteries. Legions of environmentally conscious folk happily put their name at the end of long waiting lists for the privilege of being able to buy a hybrid once they become available. Hybrids all have very large capacity (and very, very expensive) battery systems. Because the weight of the batteries is of prime importance in a hybrid, the battery systems use very costly batteries to achieve the large capacity and reduced battery weight. There are anywhere from 3,000 - 8,000 dollars worth of batteries in one hybrid. Wow.

The battery industry has kept up rapid and steady growth in recent years. Our world is becoming more and more dependent on electronic products of all sorts, many of which rely on batteries for one reason or another. Expect strong growth of battery sales to continue for many years.

Jada Rose has worked in the battery industry for over a quarter of a century and has owned and operated a battery distributorship for 20 years.