We use batteries in most electronic goods like MP3 players, cell phones, walkmans etc. Simply put, AA batteries are containers which contain chemicals capable of producing electrons through electrochemical reactions. Buy batteries from battery distributors and look at its two terminals. One terminal is positive while the other is negative. In AA batteries, the ends are the terminals while if you buy a large car battery from battery suppliers, you will find that it has two heavy lead posts which act as the terminals.

Electrons gather at the negative terminal and when you connect a wire between the two terminals, the electrons flow from the negative to the positive terminal and wear out the battery. The wire in return is connected to a light bulb or some motor and thus supplies energy for it to function.

Inside the wholesale batteries, the electrochemical reaction produces the electrons. The speed of this electron production is controlled by the battery’s internal resistance and it thereby controls how many electrons will flow between the terminals. These electrons then flow into the connected wire and only after they flow from the negative terminal to the positive terminal does the chemical reaction get completed. That is the reason; the AA batteries can be stored for many days and still be functional when you want to use them as unless the electrons flow through the terminals the chemical reaction does not take place. It is only after you connect a wire between them, that the reaction occurs. And after all the electrons are depleted, the battery becomes non-functional.

The question in your mind must be then what about the rechargeable batteries you bought from the battery wholesalers. It is due to the need for laptops, cordless phones and MP3 players that the need for rechargeable batteries has increased. The lead acid cell is the first rechargeable battery to have been made. It was invented by the French physicist Gaston Plante. So how does the rechargeable battery work? It works because when the electrical energy is supplied to the battery, the electron flow from the negative to the positive terminal that happens during the discharge gets reversed and the power gets restored in the battery. For rechargeable batteries to work, an adapter is required.

Let us look at a type of rechargeable battery, the car battery. Most cars have a single lead-acid SLI battery. It supplies power to the starter, ignition system and the lights. The battery is charged by the alternator. The alternator converts gasoline energy to electrical energy and supplies it wherever necessary. Traction batteries are used in electric and hybrid cars and these can be lead acid, nickel metal hydride, nickel-cadmium and lithium ion. The slowest rechargeable batteries have a recharging rate of 14-16 hours; some take 3-6 hours and some even less than an hour.

Recharging rate is dependent on the amount of electric current that passes from the charger to the battery. Some rechargeable batteries can take a higher voltage in less time without overheating while others need to have a lesser voltage spread over a long period of time.

No battery, whether rechargeable or the standard ones will last forever. Their cells will age someday. The more the battery is used, the more its capacity lessens. But rechargeable batteries are the best way to save money and reduce chemical waste.