$ | Dollar in US currency (exchange rate of ca. first quarter 2016) |
18650 | Li-ion cylindrical cell format measuring 18mm x 65mm |
A | Ampere (electrical) |
AAMI | Association for the Advancement of Medical Instruments |
A4WP | Alliance for Wireless Power |
AC | Alternating current |
ACA | Accessory Charging Adapters used to charge batteries from USB port |
ADAC | Allgemeiner Deutscher Automobil-Club (German automobile club) |
AEDLC | Asymmetric Electrochemical Double Layer Capacitor |
AFC | Alkaline fuel cell |
AGM | Absorbent Glass Mat (battery) |
AGV | Automatic Guided Vehicle |
Ah | Ampere-hour; battery provides energy over a specified time |
ALPA | Air Line Pilots Association |
ANSI | American National Standards institute |
APU | Auxiliary Power Unit |
ASoC | Absolute state-of-charge |
ASoH | Absolute state-of-health |
BAPCO | Business Applications Performance Corporation |
Bar | Unit of pressure; 1 bar = 100kPa; 1 bar = 14.503psi |
bbl | Measurements of liquid, 1 barrel = 42 US gallons (35 Imperial gallons), 159 liters |
BCG | The Boston Consulting Group |
BCI | Battery Council International |
BESS | Battery energy storage system (also known as ESS) |
BMS | Battery management system |
BMW | Bavarian Engine Works (Bayerische Motoren Werke) |
BTU | British Thermal Unit; 1 BTU = 1,054 joules; 1 BTU = 0.29Wh |
C | Celsius, Centigrade (°C x 9/5 + 32 = °F) |
Cal, food label | Calorie; 1cal = 1.16 watt; 1cal = 4.18 joules |
Cal, standard | Calorie; 1cal = 1.16mWh; 1cal = 4.18 kilojoules |
CAN Bus | Controller Area Network, vehicular network to communicate with applications |
CARB | California Air Resources Board |
CCA | Cold cranking amps at –18°C (0°F). The norms differ as follows: - BCI discharges battery at CCA-rate for 30s; battery at or above 7.2V passes - IEC discharges battery at CCA-rate for 60s; battery at or above 8.4V passes - DIN discharges battery at CCA-rate for 30s and 150s; battery at or above 9V and 6V respectively passes |
CCCV | Constant current constant voltage (charge method for lead acid, Li-ion) |
CCV | Closed circuit voltage (battery under charge or discharge) |
CDMA | Code Division Multiple Access (digital communication on mobile phones) |
CEC | Certificate of Equivalent Competency (International regulations) |
CEC | California Energy Commission seeking high efficiency in consumer AC adapters |
CID | Circuit interrupt device (acts as fuse) |
CIPA | Camera and Imaging Products Association |
CL | Current limiting (as in charging a battery) |
CNG | Compressed natural gas |
CNT | Carbon nanotube |
CPU | Central processing unit |
Co | Cobalt (metal) |
COC | Certificate of Competency |
CO2 | Carbon dioxide (also seen as CO2) |
CPR | Cardiopulmonary resuscitation |
C-rate | Discharge rate of a battery |
DC | Direct current |
DCA | Dynamic charge acceptance |
DC-to-DC | Direct current to direct current converter, also seen as DC-DC or DC/DC |
DCP | Dedicated Charger Port, a dedicated USB charging port only with no data |
DGP | Dangerous Goods Panel |
DGR | Dangerous Goods Regulation |
DIN | Deutsches Institut für Normung (German Institute for Standardization) |
DLC | Double-layer capacitor |
DMFC | Direct Methanol Fuel Cell |
DoD | Depth of discharge |
DOE | Department of Energy (US) |
DOT | Department of Transportation (US) |
DSP | Digital signal processor |
dT/dt | Delta Temperature over delta time (charge method) |
EBM | Electronic battery monitor |
EDTA | Crystalline acid |
EFB | Enhanced Flooded Battery |
EIS | Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy |
ELC | Equivalent lithium content |
EMF | Electromagnetic field |
EMF | Electromotive force |
EPA | Environmental Protection Agency (US) |
ESS | Energy storage systems |
EV | Electric vehicle |
F | Fahrenheit (°F - 32) x 5/9 = °C) |
f | Farad (unit of capacitance) |
FAA | Federal Aviation Administration |
FC | Fuel cell |
FCC | Full Charge Capacity |
FCVT | FreedomCAR & Vehicle Technologies (US Department of Energy) |
FDA | Food and Drug Administration |
Foot/’ | Foot (dimension) 1’ = 12”; 1’ = 0.3048m; 1’ x 3.28 = 1m |
g | Gram; 1g = 0.035oz; 1g x 28.35 = 1 oz |
GSM | Global System for Mobile Communications (cell phones) |
h | Hour (time) |
HEV | Hybrid electric vehicle |
hp | Horsepower (power) 1hp = 745.7 watts |
Hz | Hertz (electrical frequency) |
I | Current (electrical) |
i.e. | Id est. Latin: That is |
IATA | International Air Transport Association |
IC | Integrated circuit (chip) |
ICAO | International Civil Aviation Organization |
ICE | Internal combustion engine |
IEC | International Electrochemical Commission |
ILA | International Lead Association |
Inch/“ | Inch; 1” = 25.4mm; 1” = 0.0254 meter; 1” x 39.3 = 1m |
IPF | Interfacial protective film |
IPP | IEC aircraft battery rating (0.3/15s power discharge) |
IPR | Aircraft battery rating according to IEC (15s power discharge) |
IS | Intrinsic safety (used on batteries) |
J | Joule (unit of energy), 1J = 1A at 1V for 1s = 1 watt x second; 1J = 0.238 calorie/s |
JCESR | Joint Center for Energy Storage Research |
kg | Kilogram; 1kg = 0.45 pound; 1kg x 2.2 = 1 pound |
kJ | Kilo-Joule; 1kJ = 0.277Wh |
km | Kilometer; 1km = 0.621 miles; 1km x 1.60 = 1 mile |
kN | Kilo-Newton (law of motion) 1N = 1kg m/s2 |
kPa | Kilo-Pascal (pressure); 1kPa = 0.01 bar; 1kPa = 0.145psi |
kW | Kilowatt (electrical power); 1kWh = 3.6MJ; 1MJ = 860kcal = 238cal/s |
kWh | Kilowatt-hour (electrical energy) |
L | Inductance (electrical coil) |
lb | Pound (weight, from Roman libra) 1 lb x 0.45 = 1kg |
LCD | Liquid crystal display |
LCO | Lithium cobalt oxide (also LiCoO2, secondary battery) |
LED | Light emitting diode |
LFP | Lithium iron phosphate (also LiFePO4, secondary battery) |
LFPT | Low frequency pulse train (method to test a battery) |
LiCoO2 | Lithium ion cobalt oxide (also LCO, secondary battery) |
LiFePO4 | Lithium iron phosphate oxide (also LFP, secondary battery) |
LiFeS2 | Lithium iron disulfide (primary battery) |
Li-ion | Lithium-ion battery (short form) |
LIN Bus | Local Interconnect Network, low-cost multiplexed automotive communication |
Li-M | Lithium manganese dioxide (also LiMnO2, primary battery) |
LiMn2O4 | Lithium ion manganese oxide (also LMO, secondary battery, spinel structure) |
LiMnO2 | Lithium manganese dioxide (primary battery, different from secondary LiMn2O4) |
LiNiCoAlO2 | Lithium ion nickel cobalt aluminum oxide (also NCA, secondary battery) |
LiNiMnCoO2 | Lithium ion nickel manganese cobalt oxide (also NMC, secondary battery) |
Li2TiO3 | Lithium titanate oxide (also LTO, secondary battery) |
LiSO2 | Lithium sulfur dioxide (primary battery) |
LiSOCI2 | Lithium thionyl chloride (also LTC, primary battery) |
L/km | Liter per kilometer |
LMO | Lithium ion manganese oxide (also LiMn2O4, secondary battery, spinel structure) |
LTC | Lithium thionyl chloride (also LiSOCI2, primary battery) |
LTO | Lithium-titanate (also Li2TiO3, secondary battery) |
m | Meter (dimension) 1m = 3.28 feet; 1m x 0.305 = 1 foot |
mAh | Milliampere-hours |
MCFC | Molten carbonate fuel cell |
mHz | Millihertz (1mHz has a sinusoidal revolution of 1,000 seconds) |
Microfarad [µF] | Farad is the standard unit of capacitance, one-millionth 10-6 of a farad) |
Min | Minute (time) |
mm | Millimeter (dimension) 1mm = 0.039”; 1mm x 25.4 = 1” |
Mn | Manganese (chemical element used in batteries) |
MPa | Mega-Pascal unit of pressure (1MPa = 145 psi) |
MPPT | Maximum power point tracking |
Mpg | Miles per gallon |
ms | Millisecond |
MW | Megawatt (power) |
N | Newton is a force. 1N = 1kg m/s2 (force required to accelerate 1kg at 1m/s) |
Na-S | Sodium-sulfur (battery) Also abbreviated as NaS |
NASA | National Aeronautics and Space Administration |
NCA | Lithium-ion battery with nickel, cobalt, aluminum cathode (also LiNiCoAlO2) |
NCV | Net calorific value (1 food calorie = 1.16 watt-hour; standard rating is 1.16mWh) |
NDV | Negative delta V (full-charge detection) |
NG | Natural gas, consumption measured in joules (1,000 joules = 0.277Wh) |
NiCd | Nickel-cadmium (secondary battery) |
NiFe | Nickel-iron (secondary battery) |
NiH | Nickel-hydrogen battery (secondary) |
NiMH | Nickel-metal-hydride (secondary battery) |
NiZn | Nickel-zinc (secondary battery) |
NMC | Lithium-ion with nickel, manganese, cobalt cathode (also LiNiMnCoO2) |
NRC | National Research Council |
NTC | Negative temperature coefficient |
OCV | Open circuit voltage |
OEM | Original equipment manufacturer |
Oz | Ounce; 1 oz = 28 grams; 1 oz x 0.035 = 1 gram |
Pa | Pascal (1Pa = 0.00045psi) |
PAFC | Phosphoric acid fuel cell |
PC | Personal computer |
PEM | Proton exchange membrane (fuel cell), also PEMFC |
PEMFC | Proton exchange membrane fuel cell, also PEM |
pf | Pico-farad (capacitor rating, one-trillionth 10-12 of a farad) |
pf | Power factor (ratio of real power to the apparent power on AC) |
PHEV | Plug-in hybrid electric vehicle |
PMA | Power Matters Alliance |
PRBA | Portable Rechargeable Battery Association |
psi | Pound per square inch (pressure) 1psi = 0.145kPa; 1psi x 6.89 = 1kPa |
PTC | Positive temperature coefficient |
PTC | Over-voltage protection (batteries, motors, speakers) |
QA | Quality assurance |
Qi | Standard on inductive charging by Wireless Power Consortium (WPC) |
Q-Mag™ | Quantum magnetic battery analysis (Cadex trademark) |
R | Resistor (electrical) |
RBRC | Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation |
RC | Remote control (hobbyist) |
RC | Reserve capacity of starter battery. Conversion formula: RC divided by 2+16=Ah. A short method is dividing RC by 1.9. |
R&D | Research and development |
RSoC | Relative state-of-charge (also known as SoC) |
RSoH | Relative state-of-health (also known as SoH) |
RPM | Revolution per minute |
s | Second (time) |
SAE | Society of Automotive Engineers, founded early in 1900 by US auto manufacturers |
SBS | Smart Battery System |
SEI | Solid electrolyte interface (Li-ion) |
SG | Specific gravity (acid density of electrolyte) |
SLA | Sealed lead acid (battery) |
SLI | Starter-light-ignition (battery), also known as starter battery |
SMBus | System Management Bus, single-ended simple two-wire bus for batteries and more |
SoC | State-of-charge |
SoF | State-of-function |
SOFC | Solid oxide fuel cell |
SoH | State-of-health |
UL | United Laboratories (product safety testing and certification) |
UPS | Uninterruptible power supply |
US$ | Currency in United States dollar |
USB | Universal Serial Bus (data) |
V | Voltage (electrical) |
VA | Volt-ampere (similar to watt with true current flow in a reactive load) |
VAC | Voltage with alternating current (grid) |
VL | Voltage limiting (as in charging a battery) |
VRLA | Valve regulated lead acid (battery) |
W | Watt (electrical power; voltage x current = watts) |
Wh | Watt-hour (electrical energy; watts x h = Wh); 1Wh = 860 cal/h = 0.238cal/s |
Wh/kg | Watt-hour per kilogram (measurement of specific energy) |
Wh/km | Watt-hour per kilometer |
Wh/l | Watt-hour per litter (measured in energy density) |
Wi-Fi | Wireless fidelity (network) |
W/kg | Watt per kilogram (measurement of specific power) |
WPC | Wireless Power Consortium, standard for wireless charging |
WW | World War |
Z | Impedance (reactance-based resistance, frequency dependent) |
ZEBRA | Zeolite Battery Research Africa Project (battery) |
Last Updated: 20-Nov-2017
Batteries In A Portable World
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On January 6, 2019, Mostafa Yerang wrote:
Thank you for sharing valuable information
On July 2, 2018, Moulika wrote:
can I know what does "PGA" mean in battery controller IC MC33771A
On June 20, 2018, Donna wrote:
We have to find a replacement for a toshiba laptop, the closest we have found has one letter difference in the description code....instead of ACD it says ACE, is this a problem?
On August 4, 2017, Juan Trujillo wrote:
Creo que falta el BSI (Battery Size Indicator) muy importante en la telefonia movil. I think the BSI (Battery Size Indicator) is very important in mobile telephony.
On February 17, 2016, Lorcan Bonda wrote:
Does anyone know what the designation of 0.1C5A means? (the five is written as a subscript, below the line.) I'm assuming that 0.1C is the charge or discharge rates based on rated capacity, but was does the "5" and "A" mean?
On October 9, 2015, Arturo Hall wrote:
CA? MCA? This specs are very important to some areas.
On April 5, 2015, Neil Adams wrote:
Great website! Your article 'abbreviations' defines: W=electrical energy Wh=electrical power They are reversed, no?
On September 2, 2011, John Robert wrote:
The official benzo fury that is supplied by them is also under scrutiny because they keep changing suppliers even though when it was first introduced they claimed to have the only supplier in the world capable of synthesizing such a compound.
On January 13, 2011, Thomas Sebastian wrote:
wow great info I would like to see more on applications and repairing batt packs and were to get them the battery for the packs and identification. like laptop applications my dewalt packs go bad in 6 months i want to replace the bad parts and continue a new pack is 100 us a repair could be one tenth of that. Thank you tom sebastian merritt island fl 321-427-5820