Matsushita Battery Industrial announced on Wednesday August 24 it has signed an agreement with Intel to jointly develop a technology for extending battery life of notebook PCs. According to the agreement, the Matsushita subsidiary will develop a lithium-ion battery which has a 30% higher capacity than currently available models. The company estimates it can reach this capacity increase by using nickel acid-based positive electrodes instead of the more expensive cobalt-based ones, and by ensuring a lower end-of-discharge voltage. Intel meanwhile will be responsible for development of a new PC motherboard which will run chips with less electricity. The two companies strive for a battery which lasts eight hours per charge, and expect the new battery to become available in April 2006.