TECHNIQUES FOR CHARGING BATTERIES IN PARALLEL

A charging apparatus is provided according to some embodiments. The charging apparatus includes (1) charging circuitry configured to connect to a plurality of battery packs in parallel and (2) processing circuitry configured to control the charging circuitry by: (a) obtaining a voltage reading from each of the plurality of battery packs; (b) initially setting a charging voltage of a charger to a lowest voltage reading obtained from any of the plurality of battery packs; (c) while applying the charging voltage to the plurality of battery packs, obtaining a current reading from each of the plurality of battery packs that is charging; and (d) in response to the obtained current reading from a battery pack being below a minimum threshold current, increasing the charging voltage by a voltage step value. A similar method and computer program product are also provided.