Types of battery
How to tell whether your business is placing portable, industrial or automotive batteries on the market.
A battery is defined as any source of electrical energy generated by direct conversion of chemical energy and consisting of one or more battery cells.
Battery regulations apply to both single-use batteries (also known as primary batteries) and rechargeable batteries (known as secondary batteries or accumulators). However, batteries used for specific military purposes or in equipment designed to be sent into space are outside the scope of the regulations.
Batteries are divided into three categories:
- portable
- industrial
- automotive
Your business must comply with different requirements depending on the type of batteries it places on the market.
Portable batteries
Portable batteries are batteries or battery packs that are:
- sealed
- hand carried without difficulty
- neither an industrial or automotive battery
Examples of portable batteries include:
- AA or AAA batteries that might be used to power the remote control for a television
- batteries used in mobile phones, portable MP3 players or laptop computers
- button cells found on a PC motherboard or in a wristwatch
Industrial and automotive batteries
Industrial batteries are batteries or battery packs of any size that are:
- designed exclusively for professional or industrial uses
- used as a source of power for propulsion in electric vehicles
- unsealed but are not automotive batteries
- sealed but are not portable batteries
Examples of industrial batteries include those designed for use:
- in barcode readers and payment card readers in shops
- in professional video equipment and professional studios
- as a source of power and propulsion to drive the motor in forklift trucks, golf buggies and mobility buggies
- in lighthouses
Automotive batteries are used in vehicles such as cars, vans, lorries, buses and other types of road transport for starting the engine, and lighting.