Rechargeable Hearing Aid Batteries?

As Reported in the Hearing Journal:

While disposable zinc-air batteries have long dominated the hearing aid battery market, that may change. So says Ross Dueber, PhD, president and CEO of ZPower, a high-tech company based in Camarillo, CA. In an interview in December, he said, "the world really wants to move away from disposable to rechargeable batteries whenever possible." To that end, ZPower, which makes rechargeable batteries for various mobile applications including notebook computers and cell phones, has begun making silver-zinc rechargeable batteries in the 13 and 312 sizes - even though at this point no hearing aid can use them.

The advantages of rechargeable batteries for hearing aids are numerous, said Dueber, a former Air Force officer who holds a doctorate in chemistry from Oxford University. Among them are the lower cost of buying just one battery a year or so, reduced wear on hearing aid battery doors, and the environmental benefits of reusing rather than constantly discarding batteries.

Currently, said Dueber, ZPower is the only company to have developed rechargeable silver-zinc batteries for hearing aids. Previously, this technology has been used primarily for military and aerospace applications, with which he became familiar while helping define battery and energy storage strategies for such organizations as the US Air Force, Department of Defense, Department of Energy and NASA.

Deuber credits his wife, Sandy, who is an audiologist, for persuading him to turn his battery expertise toward hearing aids. He said that silver-zinc batteries are well suited for the demands of use in hearing aids, in part because being hermetically sealed they are more resistant to moisture in the ear than zinc-air batteries.

While there is no current demand for these batteries, ZPower will be explaining their benefits to hearing aid manufacturers and trying to interest them in developing instruments that can use them.