1. © Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only Publisher The Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Tinley Park, Illinois by Russell Krick

2. © Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only

3. © Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only  An automotive battery is an electrochemical device  It produces and stores direct current electricity

4. © Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only Battery Parts

5. © Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only Discharging  Changes chemical energy into electrical energy  Stored energy is released

6. © Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only Charging  Electrical energy is converted to chemical energy  Energy is stored until needed

7. © Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only Electrolyte  Mixture of sulfuric acid and distilled water  Poured into each cell until plates are covered  Also known as battery acid  Warning: electrolyte causes serious burns or blindness if it comes in contact with your skin or eyes!

8. © Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only Charge Indicator Changes color to show the general state of charge of the battery

9. © Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only  Open circuit cell voltage is 2.1 volts  Cells are connected in series  Battery voltage depends on the number of cells  A 12-volt battery has 6 cells and an open circuit voltage of 12.6 volts  A 6-volt battery has 3 cells and an open circuit voltage 6.3 volts Battery Voltage

10. © Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only Two-Battery Systems  Parallel  connected negative to negative  connected positive to positive  two 12-volt batteries produce 12 volts, high current  Series  connected positive to negative  two 12-volt batteries produce 24 volts

11. © Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only Cable Connections The negative cable grounds on the engine block and the positive cable connects to the starter solenoid

12. © Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only  No difference in the materials used in each  Only difference is in how they are prepared for service

13. © Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only  Cold cranking rating  Reserve capacity rating  Amp-hour rating

14. © Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only  As battery temperature drops, output is reduced  chemical process is slowed  battery cannot produce as much current

15. © Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only Temperature versus Efficiency