The 4th edition of Batteries in a Portable World contains large volumes of firsthand information that is not available in the 3rd edition of the book with same title. The 4th edition would have grown beyond 360 pages had the layout not been tightened and some text removed and condensed. To examine topics of interest, the author checked traffic on BatteryUniversity.com and found constructive pointers. The most visited webpages are [1] How to Prolong Lithium-based Batteries, [2] Charging Lithium-ion, [3] Charging Lead Acid, [4] Serial and Parallel Configurations, and [5] Absorbent Glass Mat (AGM).
All chapters were updated and the number of tables and figures was increased from 173 in the previous version to 248. The 3rd edition has 318 pages; the 4th edition is at 360. The table below lists the “must have” content that is relevant today and is not present in the 3rd edition. Chapters 1 - 3 can be found here.
Chapter 4 – Charge Methods | ||
129 | Ultra-fast Charging | Limitations when cold and aged |
152 | Charging from a USB Port | Power delivery, USB 3.1, Type-C, future direction |
154 | Charging Without Wires | Types of wireless charging, advancements, limitations |
160 | How to Store Renewable Energy in a Battery | Use of battery types, economics, system aging |
Chapter 5 – Discharge Methods | ||
165 | Basics About Discharging | Comparing a battery, supercapacitor and compressed air |
168 | Discharge Characteristics of Li-ion | Performance characteristics of Energy and Power Cells |
172 | Ragone Plot | Energy, power and time comparison |
174 | How to Verify Sufficient Battery Capacity | Worst-case scenario in capacity reserve and battery fade |
Chapter 6 – Smart Battery | ||
182 | Calibration | Explaining “max error” and how to correct it |
185 | Processing Data from a Smart Battery | State-of-function at a glance with the Fishbowl icon |
Chapter 7 – From Birth to Retirement | ||
191 | Priming lead acid, nickel-based, lithium-ion and non-rechargeable lithium batteries | Formatting lead acid, priming NiCd and NiMH; removing passivation layer of lithium batteries |
196 | How to Store Batteries | How to do it right; checking voltage references |
198 | Health concerns with lead, sulfuric acid, cadmium and other ingredients | Caution when handling open or damaged batteries |
204 | Shipping Lithium-based Batteries by Air | Packaging instructions 965, 966, 967, 968, 969 and 970 |
209 | How to recycle lead acid, NiCd, NiMH, primary lithium and alkaline batteries | User obligations and exceptions with small quantities |
212 | Battery Recycling as a Business | Yields and limitations of different battery systems |
Chapter 8 – How to Extend Battery Life | ||
224 | Elevated Self-discharge | Parallel of battery damage and elevated self-discharge |
228 | Restoring batteries for portable, wheeled mobility, starter and stationary uses | Methods and yields; knowing how to sort good and bad packs to make it worth while |
249 | What Causes Lithium-ion to Age? | Checking cycle count, temperature and voltage levels |
253 | How to Awaken an Over-discharged Li-ion | When to boost and when to avoid it for safety reasons |
255 | Coulombic Efficiency | Shorten longevity tests from years to weeks |
Chapter 9 – Testing and Monitoring | ||
261 | Fundamentals of Battery Testing | Observing capacity, resistance and self-discharge |
268 | How to Measure CCA | Standards and rest results of good and bad batteries |
281 | Testing Lithium-based Batteries | Frequency and Nyquist scan of good and bad packs |
283 | Battery Management System | Adding capacity estimation to voltage and current sense |
Chapter 10 – Amazing Value of a Battery | ||
304 | Grid Storage | Cost comparison also with flywheel, underwater balloon |
305 | Electric Powertrain | Battery performance in HEV, PHEV and EV |
316 | Charging an Electric Vehicle | Level 1, 2 and 3 charging, standards, voltages, times |
328 | Working Towards Sustainability | Private transportation, then, today and in the future |