by Scott Rosenthal

If you fly a state-of-the-art single-engine airplane, lucky you. You probably have dual alternators and perhaps even dual batteries, so electrical redundancy is all but a done deal. Even so, you’re sure to carry plenty of battery powered devices in the airplane: several flashlights, a back-up portable GPS, a VHF radio. Redundancy or not, you still buy lots of batteries.

These days, there are more battery chemistries to choose from than just alkaline. In addition to the ubiquitous disposable alkaline, there are also rechargeable alkalines, lithium manganese dioxide, nickel-cadmium (Ni-Cd), nickel-metal hydride (Ni-MH) and lithium ion (Li Ion) cells. With so many choices, is it worth the trouble and…