In the steadily growing battery market, low emission hybrid electric vehicles (HEV) and energy storage systems (ESS) for supporting utility and decentralized grids linked to renewable energy power are supposed to form the major segments in the coming decade or two. In these applications the requirements to the batteries (which have to be cycled by increasingly high currents and at partial state of charge (HRPSoC)) are challenging for every chemistry. Like other advanced power sources, lead batteries are steadily improving and are matching today to the requirements of the advanced applications. Performance parameters like charge acceptance and dynamic charge acceptance, specific energy and specific power, cranking ability and energy efficiency, as well as cycle life at HRPSoC and deep cycling are subject of steady enhancement by the lead battery community. The ALABC members are achieving this by optimizing the design of the cells or by adding various forms of carbon to the negative and to the positive plates.   

Carbon is added as micro or nano sized particles of graphite, carbon black, activated carbon, nano tubes or graphene; as separate plates operating in parallel to the negative plate, or as a replacement of the grids. Efficient cell design optimization includes thin plates, height to footprint aspect ratio, bipolar and pseudo bipolar design, electrolyte concentration and a variety of additives. Optimizing of the recharge profiles at HRPSoC is another method of significantly prolonging the life of the battery.

A number of companies in the US, in Europe, Asia, Australia and New Zeeland are offering batteries with the above enhancements, following the first lead-carbon battery – the Ultrabattery - which is now available by several battery manufacturers in Japan, USA, Europe and China. Along with lowest production costs and full safety, advanced lead batteries have the lowest carbon dioxide prodution footprint and are fully recycled, what makes them the most environmentally friendly battery chemistry on the market.  

The presentation reviews these innovations and provides a summary of the new program of the ALABC for further basic battery electrochemistry research and technology advancements.