A rechargeable battery may be used in terrain, marine, or aeronautic vehicles in various applications. One application is as a starter battery to drive the starter motor of the vehicle. Starter battery applications may require high electrical currents to drive the starter motor, and the ability to be recharged from the vehicle's alternator. Most current automotive starter batteries are of lead acid construction. However, lithium-ion (Li-Ion) batteries may be used instead of lead acid batteries. Li-Ion batteries can provide improved power-to-weight ratios, longer cycle lives, and environmental benefits due to the lack of lead.
A second application for Li-Ion batteries in vehicles is to provide power for micro-hybrid (start-stop) drive systems. Unlike some hybrid cars, where a relatively high-voltage battery is used to drive an electric motor that is used for vehicle propulsion, cars with micro-hybrid systems are propelled by conventional internal combustion engines. However, in micro-hybrid cars, the engine is automatically turned off when the car is stopped (e.g., at a traffic light) and then started back up when the driver presses the accelerator to drive off. This start-stop technique reduces emissions without requiring significant infrastructure changes to existing car designs. However, micro-hybrid applications also require batteries that can withstand the frequent charge-discharge cycles caused by constantly restarting the engine. Li-Ion batteries have performance characteristics that are better matched for such applications than lead-acid batteries.
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