nicad

They're small and lightweight, they run at top power longer, they're good for two to three times more charge cycles than nicads, and they can sit for months without losing a charge.

(To be fair, lead-acid, NiMh and NiCads have also been involved in more incidents.) It's possible, if not likely, that two major hull losses have occurred because of lithium battery fires, both in UPS aircraft.

While the popularization of NiCd, or "NiCad" disposable batteries offered a more sustainable option to disposable alkaline batteries, the Cadmium in NiCads proved to be equally as toxic to the environment as alkalines when disposing of them.

NiCADs were much more subject to this.) This means that it's necessary to fully discharge the battery before charging it again.

"They have a much higher energy density than NiCads [nickel-cadmium batteries], and they're more benign.

Although the company is not waiting around for a windfall of first-generation batteries to arrive from the EV revolution that never was, it processes many nicads out of electronics and appliances, Cimperman said.

Because NiMH batteries are also easier to recycle, they've become almost the norm in European countries, where manufacturers often face tighter regulations and taxes on nicads.

The most common rechargeables (nicads) are made from nickel and cadmium; cadmium, unfortunately, is yet another toxic metal, and more than half the cadmium in the U.S.

They cost about double the price of NiCads. But given the advantages, they may be worth bucking up for.