Battery Type
|
Advantages
|
Disadvantages
|
Applications |
Iron Nickel Cell
|
Long life under a
variety of conditions, excellent back-up battery
|
Low rate-performance,
slow recharge rate
|
Traction applications,
Fork lift trucks
|
Lead/Acid Cell
|
Low cost, long life
cycle, operates well under a variety of conditions.
Common car batteries
|
Minor risk of leakage
|
Motive power in cars,
trucks, forklifts, construction equipment, recreational
water craft, standby/backup systems
|
Lithium Ion Cell
|
Relatively cheap,
high energy density, long shelf life, long operational
life, long cycle life
|
Minor risk of leakage
|
Laptops, cellular
phones, electric vehicles |
Nickel/Cadmium Cell
|
Good performance
under heavy discharge and/or low temperature
|
High cost, can temporary
loose cell capacity if not fully discharged before
recharging (memory effect)
|
Calculators, digital
cameras, pagers, lap tops, tape recorders, flashlights,
medical devices (e.g., defibrillators), electric
vehicles, space applications
|
Nickel/Metal Hydride
(NiMH) Cell
|
High capacity and
power density
|
High cost, some memory
effect
|
Cellular phones,
camcorders, emergency backup lighting, power tools,
laptops, portable, electric vehicles |
Nickel/Zinc Cell
|
Low cost, low toxicity,
good for high discharge rates
|
Zinc on the electrolyte
tends to redeposit unevenly on anode, severely reducing
efficiency
|
Electric vehicles,
standby load service |
Sodium/Sulfur Cell
|
Inexpensive materials,
long cycle life, high energy and power
|
High operational
temperature lower efficiency, some danger of explosion
upon degradation
|
Electric vehicles,
aerospace (satellites)
|
