- 2071 Shrawan · 2 marks
Types of batteries
Short answer
Batteries are classified as primary (non-rechargeable: alkaline, zinc-carbon) and secondary (rechargeable: lead-acid, NiMH, lithium-ion). Lithium-ion variants (LCO, NMC, LFP) offer high energy density for devices and EVs, while flow batteries store electrolyte externally for grid storage.
What are the types of batteries?
Batteries are classified in two main ways.
1. By rechargeability
- Primary batteries (non-rechargeable): zinc–carbon (dry cell), alkaline, lithium primary, button cells. Used once and thrown away; used in remote controls and clocks.
- Secondary batteries (rechargeable): can be recharged many times.
- Lead-acid: flooded, VRLA/AGM, gel (vehicles, inverters, solar).
- Nickel–cadmium (NiCd): durable but toxic cadmium.
- Nickel–metal hydride (NiMH): hybrid cars, rechargeable AA cells.
- Lithium-ion (LCO, NMC, LFP, LTO) and lithium polymer: phones, laptops, EVs, grid storage.
- Sodium-ion, sodium–sulphur and others.
- Flow batteries (vanadium redox): electrolyte stored in external tanks, for large grid storage.
- Fuel cells are sometimes grouped with batteries, but they are continuous-feed energy converters, not storage devices.
2. By construction
- Wet-cell (flooded), dry-cell, and reserve batteries.
| Type | Nominal voltage | Energy density (Wh/kg, approx.) |
|---|---|---|
| Lead-acid | 2.0 V | 30–50 |
| NiCd | 1.2 V | 40–60 |
| NiMH | 1.2 V | 60–120 |
| Li-ion | 3.6–3.7 V | 100–250 |
✓ Answer checked by Claude Opus 5.5 (high effort)