Lead-acid battery
The lead-acid battery is a type of rechargeable battery first invented in 1859 by French physicist Gaston Planté. It is the first type of rechargeable battery ever created. Compared to modern rechargeable batteries, lead-acid batteries have relatively low energy density. Despite this, they are able to supply high surge currents. These features, along with their low cost, make them attractive for use in motor vehicles to provide the high current required by starter motors. Lead-acid batteries suffer from relatively short cycle lifespan (usually less than 500 deep cycles) and overall lifespan (due to the "double sulfation" in the discharged state), as well as long charging times.
12-volt lead-acid car battery | |
| Specific energy | 35–40 Wh/kg |
|---|---|
| Energy density | 80–90 Wh/L |
| Specific power | 180 W/kg |
| Charge/discharge efficiency | 50%–95% |
| Energy/consumer-price | 7 (sld) to 18 (fld) Wh/US$ |
| Self-discharge rate | 3%–20%/month |
| Cycle durability | <350 cycles |
| Nominal cell voltage | 2.1 V |
| Charge temperature interval | Min. −35°C, max. 45°C |
As they are inexpensive compared to newer technologies, lead-acid batteries are widely used even when surge current is not important and other designs could provide higher energy densities. In 1999, lead-acid battery sales accounted for 40–50% of the value from batteries sold worldwide (excluding China and Russia), equivalent to a manufacturing market value of about US$15 billion. Large-format lead-acid designs are widely used for storage in backup power supplies in cell phone towers, high-availability emergency power systems like hospitals, and stand-alone power systems. For these roles, modified versions of the standard cell may be used to improve storage times and reduce maintenance requirements. Gel-cells and absorbed glass-mat batteries are common in these roles, collectively known as VRLA (valve-regulated lead-acid) batteries.
In the charged state, the chemical energy of the battery is stored in the potential difference between metallic lead at the negative side and PbO2 on the positive side.