There has been many technology changes to batteries in the last few years. These changes are a big advantage to us.

Being able to greatly increase our run times and speed using all the different kinds of electric motors and better batteries. The RC car battery packs usually consist of a combination of batteries up to 6 individual cells. You can purchase these packs preassembled or assemble them yourself.

There are many different types of batteries that you can use for example NiCd (Nickel-Cadmium), NiMH (Nickel-Metal-Hydride), Li-ion (Lithium-Ion) or Li-Poly (Lithium-Polymer).

Each one of these batteries has it's own unique characteristics. The NiMH batteries are by far the most widely used battery in RC car battery packs. But, the Li-Po and Li-ion batteries are quickly gaining popularity.

Now for just a brief description of each different type of RC car battery.

NiCd's

1. They contain cadmium, that can make them hard to dispose of.
2. They suffer from memory effects, which over time makes them lose their ability to hold a complete charge.
3. Can be rejuvenated easily with the correct charging system.
4. They are fairly easy to detect peak charge.

NiMH's

1. They have a higher capacity (milliamps) compared to a NiCD battery.
2. They are not as susceptible to memory problems.
3. They do require a more sensitive peak detection method.
4. They are more environmentally friendly, making them easier to dispose of.
5. They are easy to damage if overcharged than NiCd's
6. They are easily damaged when charging unmatched cells.

Li-ion's
1. They have roughly twice the capacity of a NiCd battery
2. They are more expensive, because of the exotic material.
3. Almost all contain a tiny controller chip embedded in each battery that adjusts how quickly they discharge and prevents overcharging.
4. They require a different charger.

Li-Poly's
1. They are extremely light weight.
2. They are capable of providing nearly twice the power as a Li-ion battery.
3. They can easily be shaped differently to fit into many different nooks and crannies.
4. They do require a special charger.
5. They are very dangerous if overcharged. So extreme caution needs to be used while charging. But, the new charging systems addressing this problem.
6. They are more expensive.

I know all this so far is boring, you just want to know what RC car battery is best for you.
What do all those numbers on each cell or pack mean. The numbers are the batteries Milliamp Hour (mAh) rating.

A Milliamp is 1/1000th of a Amp Hour (Ah). So a battery with a 1500 mAh is equal to 1.5 Ah. This is the easiest way to distinguish a batteries strength or capacity.

So, a battery with a larger mAh rating has a larger capacity. Thus, how long the battery will last before recharging is needed.No matter what the mAh rating is the voltage stays the same. A good way to understand voltage, is it is the pressure of the electric current.

A better way to understand this is think of your RC car battery as a gas tank.

Voltage is how much gas is being used and mAh is the size of the gas tank.

So, choosing your RC car battery and RC car battery packs can be a critical decision for you to make.

No matter what type of RC truck or car you have. They all need batteries.

You need to have them for your remote control transmitter, receiver, electric motor, glow plug starter and starting system (roto starter or starter box).

Batteries are a large investment for you to make. So, learning to maintain them is a very important item in enjoying your RC trucks and cars.

*Note: The above article has been taken from some website, sadly i forgot to copy the URL. Will try and get it..

This is old man... NiMH is a relic of the past. LiPo is the future . The general info is pretty good though...

This is just for people who don't know what are the types of battery available and what character each posses..