From: Rob Matthies, Vancouver, BC
126 W. 3rd St,#38682, N. Vancouver, BC, V7M 3N1
phone 6 0 4 - 5 1 2 - 9 5 6 7
backup 604 - 980 - 7197

matthiesr @ yahoo *dot* com



SERVICE PROPOSED: Neighborhood Battery Revival Centres rev.3

Canadian Business magazine: "The next great Canadian idea: Revived
batteries:
http://www.canadianbusiness.com/innovation/article.jsp?content=20080611_72331_72\
331



BACKGROUND

You could call this a "800lb. Gorilla" toxic battery monster solution!

Batteries in the environment are a ticking toxic time bomb that
continues to explode sending their silent deadly shrapnel into
landfills and underground water tables.

Batteries are everywhere and they touch all of us.

A leaching battery is a nightmare to clean up because it is so
ubiquitous and its effect is largely unseen. Leaching landfills with
its toxic brew finds it's way into many parts of our life including
food and water with unknown disease effects as we're all unique
biochemically and react differently to exposures to chemical irritants.

My solution is to drastically reduce the entry into landfills by
collecting the batteries and making them useful once again. This not
only stops pollution and environmental and health contamination which
leads to untold suffering but also produces local economic activity.

A "dead" battery can be revived, on average, 3 to 6 more times.

Furthermore, the average Canadian will spend $400,000 of his/her
estimated lifetime earnings on energy. That includes rechargeable and
non-rechargeable batteries.

It has been estimated that there are 120 million automotive and other
large lead acid batteries recycled under the industrial recycling
(shredding) process every year. However, according to a Greenpeace
report, titled, "The Myth of Automobile Battery Recycling", these
batteries are allegedly poisoning the streams and rivers and drinking
water and lands of less developed countries, where environmental
enforcement is lax.

http://www.things.org/~jym/greenpeace/myth-of-battery-recycling.html
http://www.geocities.com/vanrescuers/Revived_Ebike_batteries.html


Robert Matthies, with the help of members of the Vancouver Gadgeteers
inventors' club, as well as gifted kids from independent schools,
developed a process that revives dead lead acid, as well as other
batteries.

http://www.geocities.com/solarpowerroadshow/Text_About_Rob.html
http://www.geocities.com/solarpowerroadshow/Silbury_Batt_Workshop.html


Matthies gave away thousands of dollars worth of free batteries,
through various outlets, including the offices of Libby Davies, MP,
Mothers' Herbs health store in North Vancouver, and The Bike Doctor,
Main Street Safe, and others. The recipients included disabled
electric scooter owners in Metro Vancouver, BC, Canada.

http://www.geocities.com/angelsonebikes/agape_street_ministry.html



Matthies also gave away thousands of revived alkaline batteries to
events, including those organized by the Vancouver Electric Vehicle
Association, Vancouver City Hall, and Christmas Wish Foundation, among
others.

http://www.geocities.com/batteryrestoreprogram/Free_Batteries.html
http://vancouver-greendrinks.blogspot.com/
http://revived-batteries.blogspot.com/
http://www.geocities.com/angelsonebikes/REV2005.html
http://www.geocities.com/batteryreuseprogram/CRITICAL_MASS.html
http://www.geocities.com/vancyclist/BIKE_LANE.html
http://www.geocities.com/solarwindvan/Moms_agape_ministry.html
http://sustainability-edu-fun.blogspot.com/


Out of curiosity, Matthies began picking up dead alkaline and lithium
(camera) batteries in small quantities from about two dozen retailers.
The quantities soon became too large for Matthies to handle, and
ceased his experiment. However, the success proved that the public
wants a "battery revival" pipeline.

Presently, the few household, alkaline (non-rechargeable) battery
collection depots in Metro Vancouver send collected batteries to be
buried in landfills in the United States, at a cost of some $3-$6 per
lb. The cost burden is paid by taxpayers, or organizations, such as
the Mountain Equipment Coop.

Matthies may never buy another battery again, because he collects dead
batteries and puts them back into service. Matthies even pays waiters'
tips with dead batteries. However, most people will have to buy
batteries because they lack the skills and equipment to do this.



DAMAGE FROM EVEN HOUSEHOLD BATTERIES

Mountain Equipment Coop's website and hand-out literature alleges that
"small household batteries" (e.g. alkaline AA cells) cause 50%-70% of
all heavy metals in landfills. As you may have read in the non-fiction
(Pulitzer-nominated) book, "A Civil Action", all landfills will
eventually leach its toxic waste into the water table, and sadly, into
our future drinking water.

Research in "Murder City", Detroit, Michigan revealed that cadmium,
lead, and other heavy metals are found in large blobs in the Detroit
River, where the inner city gets its drinking water. Buffalo, NY,
another "murder city" also grabs its city right from Lake Erie, with
only basic treatment.

There are scholarly books linking heavy metals to psychotic, criminal,
and anti-social behaviour.

Another good demonstration: Drop an alkaline battery into a goldfish
bowl. When moisture breaks the seal, the fish will die from any one of
22 cancer-causing chemicals.

Approximately 12 billion "small household batteries" end up in
landfills, every year.


REVIVING SMALL HOUSEHOLD BATTERIES

Matthies can revive these batteries for the cost of labour, only,
estimated at 100 units/hour, or, at $10/hr, 10 cents a battery, before
overhead. A 9V "no name" battery can retails at $10 for 24, or 41
cents. A "brand name" industrial 9V battery retails for five dollars
each. Matthies guarantees his revived 9V alkaline batteries for one
years' use.


REVIVING LARGE MOTIVE BATTERIES

Matthies received TV and print media coverage after he restored an
all-electric pickup truck and ran it with a motley mix of old, and
revived, "dead" batteries. The media frenzy occurred because Matthies
broke the "rule" that batteries in an electric vehicle must be the
same size, the same chemistry, and internal resistance, and
preferably, from the same batch from the factory.

http://tv-news-revived-batteries.blogspot.com/
http://solarpowerfun.blogspot.com/


Matthies' "revived battery electric pickup truck" was chosen by
Canadian Business magazine, and Vancouver magazine as among the top 10
"green" technologies for 2008. It was a cover story in Ming Pao, and
Burnaby Now. CBC Newsworld, Global TV, and CTV featured the revived
battery process. The media brought their own battery experts, too.
Matthies' blogs show how the media tested the batteries, themselves,
before they put the "revived batteries', on the news.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/10670363@N05/sets/72157605816095508/
http://www.viddler.com/explore/gadgeteers/videos/6/
http://video.filestube.com/video,8d3344883933ad4e03e9.html
http://video.yahoo.com/watch/2951639/8435537



Matthies battery revival process is unique in that, it is the only
process, without the use of chemicals, which:

Revives all types and chemistries of sealed-lead acid batteries
Revives all types of small, household batteries, excepting laptop and
cellphone batteries

http://video.aol.com/video-detail/revived-batteries-presented-at-sustainability-\
expo/288230382312136781/?icid=VIDURVTRV03


From actual experience, Matthies estimates that 60% of all automotive,
stationary, and sealed lead acid batteries can be revived, without
chemicals.

With proper procedures, there these batteries can be revived safely.


REVIVED BATTERIES at PLAY

Matthies started selling the "secret process" with ads on the
Internet, for (without equipment)$99 to individuals, $999 to small
non-profit organizations, $9999 to large non-profit organizations, and
$99,000 to corporations.

Matthies' battery revival technology offered on Buy Sell Community:
http://tinyurl.com/6x5o3l
http://tinyurl.com/6jmfl8 .


As was announced at the North Shore District Resource Centre community
meetup, Matthies also started a "battery exchange club" in North
Vancouver. The club lends out batteries, like books, to members, who
include electric bicycle owners.

http://battery-club.blogspot.com/


REVIVED BATTERY CENTRES in EVERY NEIGHBORHOOD

In these hard economic times, Matthies envisions a "battery revival
centre" in every neighborhood, the same way we now see, "Block Parent"
signs in many neighborhood. Instead of the municipalities spending
time and money to truck dead batteries for burial in Texas, we could
revive a substantial portion of these batteries, and put them back
immediately in the hands of users.


POSSIBLE REVENUE-NEUTRAL FUNDING SOURCES

A "business enterprise model" is one vision. A "franchise" would
consist of a home-based entrepreneur, who would purchase an operations
manual and equipment, for $2,995 for a neighborhood operation. Anybody
with a shed, or garage, can run a Neighborhood Battery Centre. The
"Neighborhood Battery Centre Operator" (entrepreneur) should be able
to recoup his investment within three years, on a worst case basis.

These battery revival centres would use the "battery exchange club"
model, charging either a fixed membership fee; or, if fully
subsidized, at no charge; or, a per-unit charge approximately 1/3 that
of the lowest retail prices.

A second income for the Neighborhood Battery Centre Operator will come
from festival and community event performance, as has been done, in
Vancouver, by Matthies' "Solar Power Roadshow", where battery-magic
and revived battery giveaway, are integrated in "edu-tainment".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0nPHJI6cyXQ
http://www.metacafe.com/watch/2359948/135_hr_battery_rejuvenation_magic_show_van\
couver_family_festival/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQhy12C39gc

Canada Member of Parliament Libby Davies and Rob Matthies Magic Show
http://www.viddler.com/explore/WE-ENTERTAIN/videos/9/



WHAT WOULD CHANGE?

It is anticipated that battery manufacturing companies, chemical, and
metal recycling corporations would receive less income. Because fewer
(relatively heavy) batteries would be transported, less oil would be
consumed. Less energy would be required, because each "AA" battery
typically requires 50X the energy, to make them, than the batteries
actually give out, under use.


WHO ELSE HAS SEEN/TESTED/PROVEN
ROB MATTHIES' REVIVED BATTERIES?

Member of the media, including Larry Wright, from a Burnaby newspaper.
http://revived-battery-truck.blogspot.com/

Global TV news
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzIMq9JdbfA

CBC TV "Newsworld"
http://tinyurl.com/d92ao2

Chinese TV news
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AVCqsx7s5yM


Matthies' "revived battery electric pickup" and his Solar Power
Roadshow have received kudzus from the Mayor of West Vancouver, Libby
Davies MP, the North Vancouver mayor, Jenny Kwan MP, North Vancouver
city council, et al. The devices used by Solar Power Roadshow at
numerous festival are run with "revived batteries".

http://www.viddler.com/explore/WE-ENTERTAIN/videos/9/
http://www.vimeo.com/1686546


http://photo.livevideo.com/photo/west-van-mayor_695CD4D1EC3D439ABD25C707160C9869\
.aspx

or
http://tinyurl.com/bq7f4t


http://photo.livevideo.com/photo/9D395_A75DB7626D284A798729C2F7C319D395.aspx
or
http://tinyurl.com/d3athk


Revived Battery Electric Pickup reviewed by BC lawmaker and folks at
Mt. Pleasant Harvest Festival
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=9078196071088889005


North Vancouver Mayor talk Al Gore Slide Show Free-Battery Electric Pickup
http://www.sumo.tv/watch.php?video=3185880

Richmond's mayor and a councilor with the Solar Power Roadshow:
http://sustainable-music-fun.blogspot.com/

Burnaby mayor Corrigan and Matthies' Solar Power Roadshow:
http://wind-farm.blogspot.com/

Walking robot powered by revived batteries at Spirit Trial opening:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nnPV2uZAO0k



WHAT ABOUT OTHER, COMPETING BATTERY REVIVAL TECHNOLOGIES?

The other competing technologies cannot revive the types (size,
chemistries) of batteries that Matthies has done. Matthies' method
revives all kinds of batteries, without chemicals. The other
technologies would require going through regulatory hoops due to
chemical disposal.

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