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I agree that the battery analogy works better when removed from the literal embodiment of a Duracell battery, but I still don’t think that it is a particularly useful analogy. To begin with the word “battery”, whether we want it to or not, will always be associated with the little metal things that power stuff.  The word itself is just far too loaded.  If a literal battery isn’t what is being discussed then that shouldn’t be what we call it.

Regardless of the wording I think that my main problem with using this analogy is that we don’t need it. The analogy would be useful if we were just learning about the nervous system for the first time, but we aren’t.  We all should have a basic understanding of what an action potential from intro bio.  I find that trying to force myself to understand this analogy just makes me lose sight of what I already know.  I already knew that there was a charge across the membrane, and that is all the battery tells us. Maybe there is some deeper meaning that has not been revealed, but as of right now I just don’t see why we need the battery.