Ecoair recognizes that, at idle and low speeds, today's alternators fail to generate enough power to prevent a drain on auto batteries.

Jumper cables, which can be used to hitch a dead battery to another auto battery to get the engine started, are priced by the size of the clips and the gauge and length of the cable.

Switcher technology in automotive power inverters changes the direct current from the auto battery into alternating current.

He said that the bitterly cold weather had resulted in "record sales of auto batteries."

And, from the fun world of doing radio talk shows, I learned from Denver Don that you can sour an auto battery into inaction by filling it with vinegar.

Ninety-eight percent of auto batteries were recycled in 1995, eliminating the need for large increases in lead mining.

By then they were also to start recycling nine items: newspapers, food containers of glass and metal, corrugated cardboard, scrap metal, office paper, used motor oil, used auto batteries and leaves.

The power supplies may include a diesel or gasoline generator with a one month fuel supply, an auto battery and charger, extension cord, flashlights, rechargeable batteries (with recharger), an electric multi meter, and a test light.

Accordingly, whoever wrote of "tens of thousands of potential deaths" might have applied those words with equal concern or absurdity to a pile of abandoned auto batteries.

We see a lot of ingenuity in the areas of recycling motor oil and auto batteries, reusing tires or turning junk glass into paving material.