Obviously ICE are powered by cobalt properties the gasoline you buy when you fill up at a gas station. The electric motor/generator is powered by a large (and by large, I mean large and heavy) battery pack. Most hybrids on the road today have large Nickel-Metal Hydride (NiMH) battery packs somewhere near the trunk, or under the seats. (Read about the Lexus Hybrid battery pack).
In the RC boats sale, you'll find models in a wide array of sizes. The smaller ones can be just a few inches in length, while the bigger ones can be positively gargantuan reaching up to several feet. The choice will depend on how and where you plan to use the boat. A little one will be fast and easy to carry lithium facts around but may not perform well on rough waters. A bigger, heavier one will need a powerful engine and will be difficult to move from place to place but it can handle a bit of turbulence much better. Most tournaments place restrictions on the weight and dimensions of entries so read up if you plan on joining any of them.
This can be a problem for where the battery is not used that often but is can be important when it is needed for emergencies such as power outages. As the battery does not store well over extended amounts of time, it is possible that when they are needed they will not be usable. But for things that are used and recharged on a regular basis such as for portable electrical equipment, they are very good. But there is not always a slowing amount of capacity when they are getting old and it is possible for them to just not work without any reason being obvious.
Also keep in mind that when your iPod mini battery does die, it requires a proper funeral inside a proper container. No you don't need to buy a casket and a plot but you do need to adhere to local lithium bettery stock laws when it comes to battery disposal.
The basic rule of getting a replacement battery is that it should have the same voltage as the original. An 18V drill cannot run on a 12V battery. It can only run on a 18V battery. The other thing is that the physical packaging of a battery can be different from company to company. A 12V Ryobi battery may not fit into a 12V Makita cordless drill unless the battery has the right physical dimensions. So make sure the replacement battery looks the same as the old one before you order it. Also, if you are looking for a replacement battery of the same voltage rating and by the same company, know that battery technology is changing rapidly. An 18V lithium-ion battery has a different physical packaging than a NiCad 18V battery.
There are a couple of more considerations about choosing your cell phone battery which we cover with a later post. And don't forget the holidays are coming up so make sure you take a look at various face plates and extra batteries to enhance your gifts!