The components of a typical drone battery and how they affect performance are as follows ¹:

- *Lithium-based cathode and anode*: These are the main components of a drone battery. Chemical energy is converted to electrical energy when electrons travel from the anode to the cathode, creating an electrical current.

- *Polymer electrolyte*: This component is what differentiates LiPo batteries from Li-ion batteries. It is a solid component rather than a liquid electrolyte. The electrolyte interacts with the anode to generate electrons, creating a charge gradient in the cell.

- *Energy density*: This is the amount of energy the battery can provide for its weight. The energy density of LiPo batteries ranges from 140 - 200+ Wh/kg in terms of weight and 250 - 350+ Wh/L for volume.

- *Capacity*: This is the number of hours of current or power the battery can provide. Common units are the ampere-hour (Ah) and the watt-hour (Wh). Increasing battery capacity will give you more flight time, but with diminishing returns as the mass of the battery increases.

- *Voltage rating*: The voltage rating of the battery will allow you to determine your motor speed and amperage. Higher voltage batteries will spin the motor at a higher RPM, so find a voltage that matches your desired rotation speed range.

- *Discharge/ C rating*: The discharge rate or the C rating is a measure of how quickly the battery can safely discharge. If a battery has a C rating of 25 and a capacity of 5800 mAh/ 5.8 Ah, you could safely discharge it at 25 times the capacity of the battery, 25 x 5.8 = 145 Ah.