We all take batteries – conventional and rechargeable ones – totally for granted in our everyday lives. They are especially important in the home, but we also make different use of them as the seasons change: For
example, flashlights are essential during the long dark months of winter, and in the summer, we love playing with battery-powered toys and gadgets. But what would things be like if we had to do without batteries?
In this VARTA “home story”, VARTA Consumer imagines what it might be like to spend 24 hours in a world without batteries. The following tale illustrates just some of the differences!
Morning, Friday, January 13, 2013
After getting a long night’s rest and all the sleep he needs, Max wakes up and has no recollection of his dreams. Lying in bed, he looks forward to the day ahead of him. He has taken the day off and can’t wait for his long weekend to begin.
But something has gone wrong. Wasn’t his alarm clock meant to ring at nine so he can meet Simon, his best friend, for brunch? Aw damn… He thinks a quick phone call might sort things out, so Max reaches for his cordless landline phone, but it’s dead – not even a dial tone.
Max wonders if there’s any way he can contact Simon in time. Checking the clock on the wall is no good either, so he turns on his computer to check the bus timetable online. Nothing doing: the cordless keyboard and cordless mouse aren’t working either.
Max hurries out the door – he thinks the bus might be at the stop any minute now.
Traveling with Max
When he gets to the bus stop, he realizes that he’s just missed it. His watch says it’s 12:15, but the second had isn’t moving anymore.
Frowning in annoyance, Max reaches into the pocket of his jacket because he wants to listen to his favorite LP on his MP3 player while he’s waiting for the next bus. Once again, he’s out of luck – it’s not working.
An awful afternoon
Max finally makes it to the place he was meant to meet Simon, but there’s no sign of his friend. While he was in transit, he managed to find out what time it was, but he is just far too late.
Max heads for his friend’s apartment. By the time he makes his way across town, it’s already starting to get dark.
Simon opens the door and is carrying his daughter Lilian in his arm. Max is so embarrassed about everything that he claims forgetfulness as an excuse for the mess. Simon, of course, understands – forgetting something can happen to anyone, and old friends are quick to forgive!
In Simon’s kitchen, Max tries to unwind after the ordeal that was his odyssey. A good coffee would be great, he thinks. Simon asks, “Want some milk?” Milk is all Max gets – no foam, as the frother doesn’t work. Max points out, “Coffee without foam just isn’t real coffee.”
As if that wasn’t bad enough, little Lilian wants someone to play with her – her talking doll can’t say a single word without batteries to power it.
No improvement in the evening
Worn out after the hectic day, the two friends want to watch a film after Lilian goes to sleep, still sulking over her doll. Simon and Max want an action flick, but it turns into a horror show instead.
Just after the first scene starts, they find out that the remote control isn’t working the way it should. Now, whenever the film gets loud during an action-packed scene, one of them has to get up and lower the volume by hand, but when the next scene comes on, with dialog spoken over the music soundtrack, they have to turn the set up so they can hear the actors speak. It’s a real drag!
And it only gets worse. There’s a loud, sharp sound. Suddenly the lights go out, and with them every single electrical appliance in Simon’s home. The circuit breaker has tripped, putting an abrupt end to an evening that was meant to be nice, but which never really got off the ground.
Feeling their way in the dark, Max and Simon carefully leave the sitting room and fumble their way to the hall. Simon locates a drawer and opens it. He finds a flashlight, but when he presses the on switch, nothing happens.
Standing there in the dark, the two men suddenly start laughing. Luckily, not every day is like the one they’ve just had!
Batteries are among the most normal things in the world. Nothing works right without them, and we need them for so many things in life!
Visit our virtual 360° battery tour and learn some great tips and tricks about using batteries and how to handle them properly.
Further information is available at www.varta-consumer.com or the official Facebook page for more information: www.facebook.com/VARTA.Consumer
Contact for journalists:
häberlein & mauerer ag
David Hofer
phone.: +49 89-38108-104
Email: varta@haebmau.de
About VARTA AG
VARTA AG produces and markets a comprehensive battery portfolio, ranging from microbatteries, household batteries, energy storage systems to customer-specific battery solutions for a wide range of applications, and, as a technology leader, sets industry standards in key areas. As the parent company of the Group, it operates in the business segments “Microbatteries & Solutions” and “Household Batteries”.
The “Microbatteries & Solutions” segment focuses on the OEM business for microbatteries as well as on the lithium-ion battery pack business. Through intensive research and development, VARTA sets global standards in the microbattery sector and is a recognized innovation leader in the important growth markets of lithium-ion technology and primary hearing aid batteries. The “Household Batteries” segment comprises the battery business for end customers, including household batteries, rechargeable batteries, chargers, portable power (power banks) and lights as well as energy storage devices. The VARTA AG Group currently employs almost 4,000 people. With five production and manufacturing facilities in Europe and Asia, and distribution centers in Asia, Europe and the USA, VARTA AG’s operating subsidiaries are currently active in over 75 countries worldwide.