Lead-acid Battery Design Gets Technology Upgrade

Firefly Energy says it has developed an innovative graphite foam lead-acid battery.

The lead-acid cell, a technology born in the 1850s, is reliable, safe, inexpensive, and able to handle large surges in current, which makes it attractive to automobile manufacturers. However, it realizes little of its theoretical power density and has a relatively short battery life.

“While somewhat newer battery technologies like lithium-ion and nickel-metal hydride offer alternatives to traditional lead-acid cells, they have their own set of issues, including higher costs,” says Frost & Sullivan research analyst Sivam Sabesan. Engineers at Firefly Energy believe they can improve the lead-acid cell to match lithium-ion and the nickel-metal hydrides, Sabesan says.

Firefly Energy, a spin-out of Caterpillar, removes heavy weight, extensive corrosion and sulfating positive and negative lead metal grids by substituting them with carbon-graphite foam, increasing the surface area, to enhance battery chemistry. The result rivals the advanced chemistries in performance, takes advantage of an existing manufacturing base, and addresses environmental concerns by using half to two-thirds less lead.