I bought a bunch of eneloop pro, but using them in connected thermostats is always displaying “low battery” even after just fully charged. This is when I discovered that they are actually 1.2V
It really came as a surprise, is there a catch? Are they only good for low power stuff like remote controls?
Edit: it seems they do exist in lithium. Question remains why are the NiMH only 1.2v and why are they the most widespread?
It boils down to chemistry. The nickle-metal-hydride chemistry used in rechargeable batteries just don’t produce 1.5V (explaining why is a lot more complicated), while the alkaline chemistry in non-rechargable batteries produces slightly more volts.In the same vein, lithium-ion batteries produce around 3.6V, while lead-acid produce about 12.4V.
To answer your other question, they should be able to power most things that aren’t an analog clock (which might run slightly slow).
Lead acid is actually closer to 2v/cell. Car batteries are 6 cells in series.