When rechargeable batteries are mentioned, many of us will definitely think about Sanyo and their range of Eneloops that have garnered pretty high ratings from consumers over the years for its reliability and ability to live up to its own advertising in terms of performance. Well, this time round the Japanese electronics giant is back with a new Eneloop lamp – basically a rechargeable light that can function as both an interior lamp and a flashlight. According to Sanyo, “The Kobe earthquake is the starting point. We aimed at designing a shape that is really helpful in case of emergency.”

The lamp itself is weirdly shaped, looking like a bud vase while featuring a maximum diameter of 121mm and a height of 221mm. It comes with a built-in rechargeable battery and LEDs that cater for lighting applications, located at the bottom. Sanyo has decided that it is possible to merge both the functions of an interior lamp and a flashlight, letting you use the device as the former on an almost daily basis, but instantly turning into a vital piece of survival equipment in case of an emergency. Inside the lamp, you will find a couple of Eneloop nickel-metal-hydride batteries that can be fully charged within approximately a dozen hours when placed in a charging stand. Since the self discharge rate is extremely low and slow, chances are pretty good the lamp will still work great and not suffer from battery exhaustion during an emergency.

There is no official pricing details released yet, although some sources have bandied about a ¥15,000 (approximately $156) price point. Sanyo Electric has chosen September 11, 2009, as its release date – we wonder whether it had anything to do with the anniversary of the deadly attacks on the Twin Towers, where such an emergency lamp would come in handy.

Source: Tech On