2015 Beta Testing - The Components are Here.

[Caleb Sykes]

Originally Posted by Jared

Check out the datasheet. The capacity of the battery is much different when the current is different. The battery is rated for 18 amp hours, which it can achieve when used in low current situations, but when used in FRC situations, the capacity is likely closer to 7 amp hours.

I don't know exactly why this is true, but I'd be willing to bet that the chemical reaction isn't quite as effective/efficient when it happens really quickly.

I have looked at the datasheet, and I can see that the capacity is different, but I can't think of a good reason for this besides internal resistance of the battery. A fully charged battery has some energy associated with it, and a discharged battery has some energy associated with it. No matter how you get from this charged state to the discharged state, the energy change must be the same, correct? As far as I can tell, this energy can only turn into either heat or electrical energy.