The evolution of the 9V battery

The original Ultralife 9V battery, launched in 1991, subsequently sold over 100 million units across the globe. The original range boasted a high energy density with a lithium technology that provided a shelf life of more than ten years with little loss of performance.

Ultralife developed the product range in 2012 by redesigning the battery and including its ThinCell technology, which allows the battery to achieve a capacity of 1,200mAh compared to the industry standard 800mAh.

The battery also features several other enhanced characteristics, such as a low magnetic signature and a lightweight design, while maintaining key features like high energy density. It also includes several in-built safety measures, such as shutdown separators in battery cells and a resettable Polymer Positive Temperature Coefficient (PPTC) that safely stabilises current.

“Ultralife’s 9V batteries have been serving the security, test and medical industries for more than 25 years,” explained Mike Manna, VP of Global Sales and Strategic Alliances at Ultralife. “In that time, the performance expectations and requirements of batteries have changed and we developed the new iteration of the 9V battery, the U9VL-JP, in response to that.

“The infographic celebrates the development of the original 9V while also looking at what the next generation provides. For example, the new range has a reduced footprint and weighs just 37g, which is 12% lighter than the original, yet still delivers the same high performance. This fits with the industry trend for shrinking application designs.”