New double-A battery outlasts competition

Panasonic’s Evolta earns certification from Guinness World Records

TOKYO - Japan's Panasonic is introducing a double-A household battery that will keep gadgets running 20 percent longer than rivals do, so long that Guinness World Records has dubbed it the world's longest-lasting alkaline battery.

The new Evolta — whose name is derived from "evolution" and "voltage" — has proved its mettle against products from Duracell and Energizer, as well as its own upscale Oxyride batteries, according to Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., which makes Panasonic brand products.

Evolta's longer life results from more material being packed inside it, the new materials it's made with and its sturdier seal than predecessors had.

Guinness certified it in Tokyo Tuesday as "the longest-lasting AA alkaline battery cell," based on testing under guidelines set by the industry's International Electrotechnical Commission.

Evolta's 10-year shelf life — up to 60 percent longer than rivals' — also makes it more attractive to store in disaster preparedness kits. Other batteries last five to seven years on the shelf, Panasonic officials said.

Evolta goes on sale in April in Japan, and is planned for overseas markets later this year, Matsushita said. A pack of four will cost about $5.40 in Japan, about 15 percent more than regular batteries and 3 percent more than Oxyride. Prices outside Japan aren't set.