The chemical that allows the battery to charge or discharge is held in vessels outside of the battery and it flows between the electrodes when it is time to do some work.

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It listed among the possibilities a manufacturing flaw, a design defect or problems with external systems that charge and discharge the battery.

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By using a capacitor instead, Mazda saves weight and space and, unlike a battery, it can charge and discharge instantly without deteriorating during prolonged use.

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That means electrical storage, typically in an electrochemical battery, but capacitors also store and discharge electricity.

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As for battery usage, Kempton says that initially utilities would need only tiny bursts of power to balance cycles for a minute or two, so there would be no need to fully discharge the car's battery.

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Kempton parks a plug-in Toyota Scion in his garage that can discharge 19 kilowatts of power from its battery.

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Kempton parks a plug-in Toyota (nyse: TM - news - people ) Scion in his garage that can discharge 19 kilowatts of power from its battery.

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Dealing with Ranger's previous convictions for drink-driving, battery and being drunk and disorderly, Mr Forrester said they happened within a six-week period in autumn 2011, and that the battery offences for which he was given 12-month conditional discharge happened when he struggled with police having been racially abused in the street by others.

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