Innovations into lead-acid battery technology
Filed under: Etc., BMW, Green Daily
It's likely that at some distant point in the future, lead-acid starter batteries will go the way of the dodo, at least in green cars. The fact is that newer technologies like nickel metal hydride and lithium ion are much lighter than the lead-acids currently underhood of nearly every car in the world. Still, advancements in lead-acid technology are being made, and as more and more vehicles begin demanding more from their batteries, the humble lead-acid battery is changing with the times. For instance, BMW's new efficient dynamics technology required a new battery capable of supporting high loads. Banner Batteries stepped up to the plate by offering a 90Ah AGM battery, which is capable of offering the necessary power for the stop/start micro-hybrid BMW.
Fortunately, nearly everything that goes into the lead-acid battery is recyclable. Over 95 percent of the lead-acids currently underhood will end up recycled, most likely into another battery. Europe takes up the slack for some other countries by recycling nearly 100 percent of their starter batteries. New sensors are also being added to lead-acid batteries in order to make them last longer. It's good to know that old dogs like lead-acid batteries are still learning new tricks.
[Source: Just-Auto - sub. req'd]
Paris Preview: Honda Insight concept to be new global hybrid
BREAKING: Is this the production Chevy Volt in Transformers 2?
Spy Shot: Production interior of Chevy Volt (maybe)
Pics aplenty: 2009 Honda Civic Hybrid
Paris Preview: Chevy Cruze official pics released
Honda to debut Prius-fighter concept this Thursday
New Ford EcoBoost 3.5L V6 engine smiles for the camera
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
5-01-2008 @ 6:11PM
Lad said...
I thought that "Firefly" would be fully into this market with their new carbon augmented lead batteries. They have made some great claims about the technology. Don't know why they're not selling unless the product was mostly vaporware and PR.
Reply
5-01-2008 @ 7:15PM
Peter said...
Ever brought a product to market Lad? To do it right it takes a while. They are working with a truck company to run the heat/ac in the truck overnight with their batteries instead of the engine last I heard.
Reply
5-01-2008 @ 7:59PM
KarenRei said...
Firefly, like all of the other lead-acid techs I've seen, promises to improve power density and lifespan significantly, but they promise very little in the way of energy density -- the big problem, IMHO.
Reply
5-01-2008 @ 8:14PM
T2 said...
I believe the reason Li-ion chemistry won't displace Pb-Acid is because of its relatively high self-discharge factor compared to lead.
T2
Reply
5-01-2008 @ 10:48PM
Joseph said...
Lead-Acid maybe improving, but I think it's for certain that it won't be able to catch up with lithium batteries which are exponentially better.
Reply
5-02-2008 @ 4:15AM
AndyH said...
The image - is it of an early ACP tzero?
Reply
5-02-2008 @ 9:56AM
steven said...
WOW, I'd like to see the outcome of the side-impact testing on that vehicle!
Reply
5-02-2008 @ 10:06AM
davewin said...
Lead-acid has much lower energy density (Wh/kg) than NimH or Lithium-anything but it does have a lot of other advantages such as the recycling infrastructure already in place, are currently much less expensive than other types, and are robust (especially AGM-types).
Li-Ion batteries are great but have some drawbacks with temperature sensitivity, which is a problem in underhood environments, non-linear recharge times if deep discharged, and I've heard that lifespan depends more on how old they are rather than the number of charge cycles.
Reply
5-02-2008 @ 10:32AM
Tim said...
Which battery tech to use is all about application vs. cost.
Reply
6-26-2008 @ 9:02AM
Michael said...
Interesting article, did you know that the lead-acid battery was invented by a French physician named Gaston Planté in 1859? Lead-Acid was the first commercial rechargeable battery. Ken wrote a few recent articles on the advantages and href="http://blog.batteryweb.com/batteries/reviews/lead-acid-battery-advantages/2008-04-03/"> disadvantages of the lead acid batteries.
Reply