Abstract: The present invention is a shunt-type, battery-charging device that (through the use of a power dissipation and/or power reduction system and/or method) is designed to reduce the likelihood of overcharging and the possible deleterious effects (and cooling requirements) associated with the generation of heat during the charging process. Generally, the power reduction system and/or method may control the amount of power being used by the battery charger by monitoring the batteries' level of charge during charging, and by correspondingly reducing the magnitude of the charging current in response to such monitored level.