I know these are currently out of fashion but I’m still thankful they exist.
Let’s remind ourselves of devices that use(d) these standardized batteries:
Toys
Digital cameras
Torches
Gadgets like fans
Wireless keyboards
TV remotes
Thanks to having a standardized system of batteries,
You can use the same battery across several devices. This is a no brainer but it’s very practical.
Batteries can charge quicker thanks to being put in a dedicated charger and not being limited by USB cables. (But yes I concede that USB has been updated for faster charging over the years)
Devices don’t have down time when their battery is charging. To charge, the battery is removed from the device and can immediately be replaced with a fresh one.
You’ll never have to trash a device due to an expired battery. Just buy a replacement. And building on this…
Any improvements in future battery technology can be retro-fitted into your existing devices. And there is a high incentive for future improvement, because…
An accessible (due to easy replacement) and large (due to many devices) battery market is very attractive to competition.
If you look at the pros I listed, they all happen to be things that would be very useful for electric cars. So I think it would aid the adoption of electric cars if their batteries were standardized too.
I remember shopping for a Bluetooth speaker and while I settled on a JBL one, I did consider the IKEA model that takes AAA’s but it wasn’t available to try nor buy - it would’ve been nice to be able to consider one that was externally powered but ah well.
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I remember shopping for a Bluetooth speaker and while I settled on a JBL one, I did consider the IKEA model that takes AAA’s but it wasn’t available to try nor buy - it would’ve been nice to be able to consider one that was externally powered but ah well.
Yeah, the first USB power bank we had at home also used 4 replaceable AAs. I wish this was still common