Prototype 14500 batteries (14 mm dia. and 50 mm hgt; AA size) consisted of the "SiO"-carbon composite-negative and LiCo1/3Ni1/3Mn1/3O2/LiCoO2 (7/3 by weight)-positive electrodes were designed, fabricated and examined in voltage ranging from 2.5 to 4.2 V at -20, -10, 0, and +23 degrees C. The batteries were stored and delivered 1 Ah at 200 mA and 0.96 Ah at 2 A, and the capacity remained after 300 cycles at 23 degrees C was 0.7 Ah. Abuse tests, such as overcharging to 12 V, nail penetration, and heating of fully charged batteries in an oven at 150 degrees C, were also carried out and shown that the batteries showed neither smoke nor fire for all the tests examined. The battery performance was compared to that of conventional batteries with graphite-negative electrodes in the same size and the characteristic features of the lithium-ion batteries with the SiO-carbon composite-negative electrodes were discussed from the experimental results. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.