The entertainment industry is making great strides against the widespread use of single-use items, whether it is something as simple as plastic lanyards or reusable cups, or more complex performance gear like PixMob wristbands for crowd lighting design.
A Norwegian company is now taking aim at the use of disposable AAA and AA batteries, widely used to power audio equipment and other essentials for both live and recorded sound. Commercial batteries tend to be abandoned before they are completely depleted to avoid them dying during a performance; rechargeable batteries can have insufficient voltage and reliability. Founded by professional sound and live production engineers, tour managers and artists, KLVR has developed a series of rechargeable batteries designed for the needs of wireless microphones, in-ear receivers, monitor systems, and other audio gear. The charge can be monitored so they are not discarded before using their full potential, and at the end of their extended lifespan they can be recycled enabling the industry to reduce its environmental impact and save money.
Well over a million disposable batteries are used every year in the music industry in Norway alone, a statistic which prompted KLVR to produce the KLVR Charger Pro, addressing the specific performance and sustainability needs of the music, TV, film, and live event industries.
Stian Sagholen, CEO and founder of KLVR, spoke to Live Design about this new sustainability effort.
Live Design: What do these batteries offer that current consumer options do not?
Stian Sagholen: Our batteries are specifically designed to work with pro-audio equipment, meaning that instead of having 1.2V output voltage like the Ni-Mh rechargeables or a constant 1.5V voltage like newer Li-ion rechargeables, our batteries boast a 1.5V starting output and a linear discharge curve, making the user able to trust the pro-audio devices’ internal capacity measurement.
LD: Do they take less time to charge than commercially available ones?
SS: Battery charging time is a hot topic, and varies from 1.5 hours to up to 12 hours, depending on the chemistry, type of charger, temperature, battery health, how many batteries are being charged at the same time etc, so instead of comparing to a jungle of data; The KLVR Charger Pro uses just over 2 hours to charge the KLVR AA Battery, regardless if you are charging 1 or 48 batteries simultaneously.
LD: Do they have a longer charge life than commercially available ones?
SS: We are very proud of the fact that our batteries have class-leading capacity at 4150mWh/2500mAh. Combined with the fact that the starting output voltage is 1.5V and thus exceeds Ni-Mh, enables us to deliver up to 12 hours of runtime with various popular wireless systems.
LD: Can you check charge levels remotely while the batteries are in the equipment or do they have to be charging?
SS: We can not communicate wirelessly with the batteries themselves, but through the wireless mic systems you can monitor the capacity like with alkaline disposables.
LD: If commercially available batteries have insufficient voltage needs for professional audio equipment, what are those voltage needs?
SS: Most wireless equipment is designed to be used with either proprietary battery packs or disposable 1.5V alkaline batteries.
Most of the rechargeable solutions today utilize 1.2V Ni-Mh cells, which makes a lot of pro-audio equipment report not being fully charged, even when it is. Most 1.2V Ni-Mh batteries can be charged around 500 times, in contrast to 1200 charging cycles for the KLVR batteries.
LD: When these batteries finally die, is there a unique way to dispose of them versus other rechargeable batteries?
SS: Our batteries can, and should, be disposed of in the same manner as other Li-ion battery cells, through certified battery and electronics recycling programs.
To make sure the klvr batteries have the least possible environmental impact, we are introducing a deposit discount program, meaning that if you take your end of life batteries back to the distributor or reseller, which in most countries are obliged to collect electronic waste anyways, we will offer a discount on the replacement batteries.
About KLVR
KLVR is a battery technology company located in Oslo, Norway. We create smart, innovative products for the professional audio, media production, and live events industries. All of our products are designed and developed by sound technicians and audio professionals with decades of industry experience and first-hand knowledge of battery wastage issues within the music, broadcast, and proAV sectors.
Founders
Stian Sagholen, CEO: Stian brings over 13 years of touring and project management expertise for artists including Cezinando, Emilie Nicolas, The Cardigans, and Alan Walker, alongside technical production experience across major live events such as the Lillehammer Youth Olympic Games 2016.
Raymond Hellem, CTO: Raymond has more than 10 years of touring and system integration expertise for music artists including Karpe, Zara Larsson, and Highasakite, among others.
Simen Schikulski, CMO: Simen is a Norwegian Grammy Award-winning musician, entrepreneur and member of indie pop band Team Me. Simen was formerly CMO at pro audio distributor Benum Norway and is currently CMO of fintech start-up Fiken.
Arne Hurlen, Chairman: Arne is one of Norway’s most-played music artists and songwriters, with a Masters degree in Engineering from NTNU, Trondheim.