diff --git a/flight/Modules/Battery/battery.c b/flight/Modules/Battery/battery.c
index 6d072496e..aaec1d7c5 100644
--- a/flight/Modules/Battery/battery.c
+++ b/flight/Modules/Battery/battery.c
@@ -49,6 +49,7 @@
 
 #include "flightbatterystate.h"
 #include "flightbatterysettings.h"
+#include "hwsettings.h"
 
 //
 // Configuration
@@ -58,6 +59,7 @@
 // Private types
 
 // Private variables
+static bool batteryEnabled = false;
 
 // Private functions
 static void onTimer(UAVObjEvent* ev);
@@ -68,13 +70,30 @@ static void onTimer(UAVObjEvent* ev);
  */
 int32_t BatteryInitialize(void)
 {
-	FlightBatteryStateInitialize();
-	FlightBatterySettingsInitialize();
-	
-	static UAVObjEvent ev;
 
-	memset(&ev,0,sizeof(UAVObjEvent));
-	EventPeriodicCallbackCreate(&ev, onTimer, SAMPLE_PERIOD_MS / portTICK_RATE_MS);
+#ifdef MODULE_BATTERY_BUILTIN
+	batteryEnabled = true;
+#else
+	HwSettingsInitialize();
+	uint8_t optionalModules[HWSETTINGS_OPTIONALMODULES_NUMELEM];
+
+	HwSettingsOptionalModulesGet(optionalModules);
+
+	if (optionalModules[HWSETTINGS_OPTIONALMODULES_BATTERY] == HWSETTINGS_OPTIONALMODULES_ENABLED)
+		batteryEnabled = true;
+	else
+		batteryEnabled = false;
+#endif
+
+	if (batteryEnabled) {
+		FlightBatteryStateInitialize();
+		FlightBatterySettingsInitialize();
+	
+		static UAVObjEvent ev;
+
+		memset(&ev,0,sizeof(UAVObjEvent));
+		EventPeriodicCallbackCreate(&ev, onTimer, SAMPLE_PERIOD_MS / portTICK_RATE_MS);
+	}
 
 	return 0;
 }
diff --git a/shared/uavobjectdefinition/hwsettings.xml b/shared/uavobjectdefinition/hwsettings.xml
index 37c8cc9ff..a4d948767 100644
--- a/shared/uavobjectdefinition/hwsettings.xml
+++ b/shared/uavobjectdefinition/hwsettings.xml
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@
 		<field name="USB_HIDPort" units="function" type="enum" elements="1" options="USBTelemetry,Disabled" defaultvalue="USBTelemetry"/>
 		<field name="USB_VCPPort" units="function" type="enum" elements="1" options="USBTelemetry,ComBridge,Disabled" defaultvalue="Disabled"/>
 
-		<field name="OptionalModules" units="" type="enum" elementnames="CameraStab,GPS,ComUsbBridge,Fault,Altitude,Airspeed,TxPID" options="Disabled,Enabled" defaultvalue="Disabled"/>
+		<field name="OptionalModules" units="" type="enum" elementnames="CameraStab,GPS,ComUsbBridge,Fault,Altitude,Airspeed,TxPID,Battery" options="Disabled,Enabled" defaultvalue="Disabled"/>
 		<field name="DSMxBind" units=""  type="uint8"  elements="1" defaultvalue="0"/>
 
 		<access gcs="readwrite" flight="readwrite"/>