Comparison of commercial battery types
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This is a list of commercially available battery types summarizing some of their characteristics for ready comparison.
Common characteristics
This table lists characteristics common to both single use (primary) and rechargeable (secondary) batteries.
| Cell chemistry | Also known as | Electrode | Rechargeable | Commercialized | Voltage | Energy density | Specific power | Cost† | Self-discharge rate | Shelf life | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anode | Electrolyte | Cathode | Cutoff | Nominal | 100% SOC | by mass | by volume | ||||||||
| year | V | V | V | MJ/kg (Wh/kg) | MJ/L (Wh/L) | W/kg | Wh/$ ($/kWh) | %/month | years | ||||||
| Lead–acid | SLA VRLA PbAc | Lead | H2SO4 | Lead dioxide | Yes | 1881 | 1.75 | 2.1 | 2.23–2.32 | 0.11–0.18 (30–50) | 0.22–0.27 (60–75) | 80-200 | 5.15–13.24 (76–194) | 3–20 | |
| Zinc–carbon | Carbon–zinc | Zinc | NH4Cl | Manganese (IV) oxide | No | 1898 | 0.75–0.9 | 1.5 | 0.13 (36) | 0.33 (92) | 10–27 | 2.35 (425) | 0.32 | 3–5 | |
| Zinc–air | PR | KOH | Oxygen | No | 1932 | 0.9 | 1.45–1.65 | 1.59 (442) | 6.02 (1,673) | 100 | 2.06 (486) | 0.17 | 3 | ||
| Mercury oxide–zinc | Mercuric oxide Mercury cell | NaOH/ KOH | Mercuric oxide | No | 1942– 1996 | 0.9 | 1.35 | 0.36–0.44 (99–123) | 1.1–1.8 (300–500) | 2 | |||||
| Alkaline | Zn/MnO2 LR | KOH | Manganese (IV) oxide | No | 1949 | 0.9 | 1.5 | 1.6 | 0.31–0.68 (85–190) | 0.90–1.56 (250–434) | 50 | 44.12 (23) | 0.17 | 5–10 | |
| Rechargeable alkaline | RAM | KOH | Yes | 1992 | 0.9 | 1.57 | 1.6 | <1 | |||||||
| Silver-oxide | SR | NaOH/ KOH | Silver oxide | No | 1960 | 1.2 | 1.55 | 1.6 | 0.47 (130) | 1.8 (500) | |||||
| Nickel–zinc | NiZn | KOH | Nickel oxide hydroxide | Yes | 2009 | 0.9 | 1.65 | 1.85 | 13 | ||||||
| Nickel–iron | NiFe | Iron | KOH | Yes | 1901 | 0.75 | 1.2 | 1.65 | 0.07–0.09 (19–25) | 0.45 (125) | 100 | 3.13–4.17 (240–319) | 20–30 | 30– 50 | |
| Nickel–cadmium | NiCd NiCad | Cadmium | KOH | Yes | c. 1960 | 0.9–1.05 | 1.2 | 1.3 | 0.11 (30) | 0.36 (100) | 150–200 | 10 | |||
| Nickel–hydrogen | NiH2 Ni-H2 | Hydrogen | KOH | Yes | 1975 | 1.0 | 1.55 | 0.16–0.23 (45–65) | 0.22 (60) | 150–200 | 5 | ||||
| Nickel–metal hydride | NiMH Ni-MH | Metal hydride | KOH | Yes | 1990 | 0.9–1.05 | 1.2 | 1.3 | 0.36 (100) | 1.44 (401) | 250–1,000 | 2.5 (399) | 30 | ||
| Low self-discharge nickel–metal hydride | LSD NiMH | Yes | 2005 | 0.9–1.05 | 1.2 | 1.3 | 0.34 (95) | 1.27 (353) | 250–1,000 | 0.42 | |||||
| Lithium–manganese dioxide | Lithium Li-MnO2 CR Li-Mn | Lithium | Manganese dioxide | No | 1976 | 2 | 3 | 0.54–1.19 (150–330) | 1.1–2.6 (300–710) | 250–400 | 1 | 5–10 | |||
| Lithium–carbon monofluoride | Li-(CF)x BR | Carbon monofluoride | No | 1976 | 2 | 3 | 0.94–2.81 (260–780) | 1.58–5.32 (440–1,478) | 50–80 | 0.2–0.3 | 15 | ||||
| Lithium–iron disulfide | Li-FeS2 FR | Iron disulfide | No | 1989 | 0.9 | 1.5 | 1.8 | 1.07 (297) | 2.1 (580) | 10-20 | |||||
| Lithium–titanate | Li4Ti5O12 LTO | Lithium manganese oxide or Lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide | Yes | 2008 | 1.6–1.8 | 2.3–2.4 | 2.8 | 0.22–0.40 (60–110) | 0.64 (177) | 3,000– 5,100 | 0.37 (2683) | 2–5 | 10–20 | ||
| Lithium cobalt oxide | LiCoO2 ICR LCO Li‑cobalt | Graphite‡ | LiPF6/ LiBF4/ LiClO4 | Lithium cobalt oxide | Yes | 1991 | 2.5 | 3.7 | 4.2 | 0.70 (195) | 2.0 (560) | 2.09 (479) | |||
| Lithium iron phosphate | LiFePO4 IFR LFP Li‑phosphate | Lithium iron phosphate | Yes | 1996 | 2 | 3.2 | 3.65 | 0.32–0.62 (90–172) | 1.43 (396) | 200–1,200 | 7.2 (139) | 4.5 | 20 years | ||
| Lithium manganese oxide | LiMn2O4 IMR LMO Li‑manganese | Lithium manganese oxide | Yes | 1999 | 2.5 | 3.9 | 4.2 | 0.54 (150) | 1.5 (420) | 2.09 (479) | |||||
| Lithium nickel cobalt aluminium oxides | LiNiCoAlO2 NCA NCR Li‑aluminium | Lithium nickel cobalt aluminium oxide | Yes | 1999 | 3.0 | 3.6 | 4.3 | 0.79 (220) | 2.2 (600) | ||||||
| Lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide | LiNixMnyCo1-x-yO2 INR NMC NCM | Lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide | Yes | 2008 | 2.5 | 3.6 | 4.2 | 0.74 (205) | 2.1 (580) |
^† Cost in inflation-adjusted 2025 USD.
^‡ Typical. See Lithium-ion battery §Negative electrode for alternative electrode materials.
Table References
Rechargeable characteristics
This is a table of characteristics common to rechargeable batteries.
Cycle life can be significantly affected by factors such as the ambient temperature and charge/discharge rate. For the purposes of this table, typical conditions are assumed.
| Cell chemistry | Round-trip efficiency | Cycle durability at varying depth of discharge (DoD) cycles | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| % | 100% DoD | 70-90% DoD | 40-60% DoD | <40% DoD | |
| Lead–acid | 50–92 | 50–100 | 150–250 @ 70% DoD | 300–500 @ 50% DoD | >800 @ 30% DoD |
| Rechargeable alkaline | 5–100 | ||||
| Nickel–zinc | 100 to 50% capacity | ||||
| Nickel–iron | 65–80 | 5,000 | |||
| Nickel–cadmium | 70–90 | 500 | |||
| Nickel–hydrogen | 85 | 20,000 | |||
| Nickel–metal hydride | 66 | 300–800 | |||
| Low self-discharge nickel–metal hydride battery | 500–1,500 | ||||
| Lithium cobalt oxide | 90 | 500–1,000 | |||
| Lithium–titanate | 85–90 | >13,000 | ≫20,000 @ 80% DoD | >60,000 @ 60% DoD | |
| Lithium iron phosphate | 90 | ≥2,000 @ 80% DoD | 3,500–>9,000 @ 50% DoD | >10,000 @ 20% DoD | |
| Lithium manganese oxide | 90 | 300–700 |
Table References
Thermal runaway
Under certain conditions, some battery chemistries are at risk of thermal runaway, leading to cell rupture or combustion. As thermal runaway is determined not only by cell chemistry but also cell size, cell design and charge, only the worst-case values are reflected here.
| Cell chemistry | Overcharge | Overheat | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Onset | Onset | Runaway | Peak | |
| SOC% | °C | °C | °C/min | |
| Lithium cobalt oxide | 150 | 165 | 190 | 440 |
| Lithium iron phosphate | 100 | 220 | 240 | 21 |
| Lithium manganese oxide | 110 | 210 | 240 | 100+ |
| Lithium nickel cobalt aluminium oxide | 125 | 140 | 195 | 260 |
| Lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide | 170 | 160 | 230 | 100+ |