The dynamic thermal and electrical behavior of high power LiFePO4 cathode-type Li-ion batteries is studied with extended considerations such as demanded current ranging from 12 to 30 A, battery temperatures ranging from 283 to 313 K and a redefinition of the concept of state of charge during cycling conditions. The equivalent electrical model, consisting of a series resistance, a parallel resistance-capacitor, a voltage source and state of charge calculators, can be improved with the addition of current and temperature gains for each element. In addition, a non-intrusively-obtained alternative thermal model extraction is proposed to uncouple from the experimental battery temperature based on electrochemical research found in the literature. This improved model extraction for high power cylindrical batteries can achieve a temperature and voltage relative runtime error in the range of 1% and 5% in average, respectively. The effects of lithium concentration in the anode and cathode are accurately predicted with state of charge accelerators, which vary linearly with temperature. Aiming for a power systems environment, the integrated battery model is built and validated experimentally to demonstrate its accurate prediction. This improved integrated battery model can be employed for battery stack simulations, improved state of charge algorithm testing and optimization of hybrid systems - with a light computational demand. Finally, a performance index radar plot is proposed to conveniently compare electrical and thermal properties of different types of batteries. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.