9 industries that rely on lead-acid batteries and vehicle applications

Lead acid batteries play an important role in all electrical applications.

Lithium-ion batteries have become the world's favorite for energy storage with the advantages of lightweight, strong power, and long service life, making them a main source for mobile applications such as electric vehicles, personal electronics, cell phones, as well as battery-powered electric tools. However, traditional lead acid batteries (which are gradually being replaced by lithium-ion batteries) are still on a growth trend: statistically, it is expected to reach 59.7 billion dollars in 2026, with an average annual growth rate of 5.2%.

Lead acid batteries have been used in different applications for over 160 years and remain the most widely used rechargeable electrochemical battery for small to medium-sized energy storage applications. Lead-acid batteries are safe, low cost, easy to recharge and recycle. The battery consists of two electrodes immersed in a sulfuric acid electrolyte. The positive electrode is made of the metal lead oxide, while the negative electrode is made of the metal lead.

Lead acid batteries are divided into two types: flooded lead acid batteries and maintenance-free valve-regulated lead acid batteries (VRLA). Flooded lead acid batteries are relatively low-cost, but require a lot of maintenance and ventilation compared to maintenance-free VRLA batteries. AGM batteries are a type of VRLA battery with a glass fiber separator containing sulfuric acid electrolyte, which can be operated in any position and without the risk of electrolyte leakage even if the battery case is punctured.

Lead acid batteries are most commonly used in start-stop systems in automobiles due to their low cost and capability to generate high currents for a short time and the use of being charged by in-vehicle AC generators. For other uses, lead acid batteries present some challenges, including relatively low cycle life and low energy density due to their heavy weight (made of lead).

Even though lead acid batteries are in their second 100 years, they still play a vital role in the 21st century, especially in industrial environments. We’ve gathered 9 applications for lead acid batteries, which you might be surprised by.

Lead acid battery for vehicle starting (SLI)

Lead acid batteries are mainly used in vehicle starting. This application is called Starting, Lighting, and Igniting (SLI). Lead acid batteries can generate high currents necessary to get a cold internal combustion engine (ICE) running.

12V lead acid battery can power vehicle starting, lighting, meter viewing, radio, cold air control, etc. The development of electrical transportation may eventually lead to the reduction of internal combustion engine vehicles, however, the production of low-cost gasoline and diesel-powered cars in India and Asia will maintain a high requirement of SLI lead acid batteries in the coming decades.

Lead acid batteries can be charged with in-vehicle AC generators and few electronic devices while lithium-ion batteries must be carefully monitored by sophisticated electronics during charging to avoid thermal runaway due to overcharging.

There is still a large amount of SLI lead acid batteries not being recycled and the lead metal contained in the batteries will cause environmental pollution, in this case, the government has issued a lot of regulatory policies and fiscal incentives to advance the recycling of lead acid batteries, with a recycling rate high up to 95%, which is another vital factor for the constant use of lead acid battery.

Lead acid battery for forklift

Battery-powered forklifts have largely replaced those fueled by natural gas. You can drive electric forklifts in buildings or enclosed spaces without fear of the gathering of toxic fumes and carbon monoxide, which is adverse for human health.

The forklift is a mobile application where the weight of lead-acid batteries will do help to it. The lead acid battery usually be placed in a lower position to help balance, especially when forklift lifter needs to place products in a higher position. Replacing lead-acid batteries with lighter batteries (e.g., lithium-ion batteries) may require ballasting the forklift to maintain safe operation.

Forklift, as a significant part of the material handling industry, productivity and low cost are important considerations, for that, lead acid batteries would continue to take the lead in forklift applications.

Emergency power supply for data center

The internet giants like Amazon, Facebook, and Google all depend on data systems to keep running. When there is a sudden power outage or brief interruption in power supply, the Uninterruptible Power System (UPS) will be activated to keep data centers online. Rechargeable battery packs will work as a backup power to support at any time.

Traditionally speaking, for the advantages of low cost, and low technical requirements for charging, lead acid batteries are the first choice for a long-time standby system. The weight of the lead acid battery is no longer a vital factor in this application because the battery is always in a static status in its whole life.

Lithium-ion batteries are already replacing lead acid batteries in certain applications of data centers. In addition to having a longer service life (Li-ion batteries have about 1,000 cycle life compared to 300 to 400 for lead acid batteries), Li-ion batteries can support the same amount of energy as lead acid batteries do while in a smaller space, which will be a key consideration when the occupied area of data center is expensive. Lead acid battery, however, will not disappear soon as it still has a cost-effective advantage.

Signal tower/5G service

Cell phones have become an indispensable device in modern life. If there is a power failure, the signal tower should have backup power for the normal operation of cell phone. Backup power comes in the form of backup batteries and sometimes an auxiliary power generator, which can maintain phone service for several hours even if the power grid fails.

The relatively low cost and low maintenance requirements of lead-acid batteries making them the preferred choice for signal towers as backup power.

5G services are committed to innovating in different fields from telemedicine to automatic driving cars, power needs are likely to increase. Compared to lead acid batteries, small-sized lithium-ion batteries can provide more power in the same space. The expansion of the telecommunications industry in the U.S., Brazil, India, and Hong Kong requires uninterruptible power supply systems, and it remains to be seen whether lithium-ion batteries will begin to replace lead-acid batteries in these applications.

Renewable energy storage

Renewable energy power generation devices are growing the fastest in America. Intermittent renewable energy like wind energy and solar energy will be stored in energy storage system and be released when needs.

Low-cost lead acid batteries play their role again because electrochemical batteries have become a popular option for storing renewable energy for household and grid-scale industrial use. Lead acid batteries are often used in off-grid applications, such as independent microgrids, especially where upfront costs can be a barrier.

Diesel-powered nuclear submarines

If you've seen some movies about World War II diesel-powered submarines, you'll understand the importance of batteries to them. In a Hollywood movie, a submarine's ability to operate underwater and return to the surface owes much to a large number of lead-acid batteries that require the constant attention of almost the entire crew.

The U.S. submarine fleet grew and rose during World War II, with 263 submarines conducting war patrols. The U.S. submarine has two batteries, one consisting of 126 lead-acid batteries. Charging can be done on the water surface or on a diesel engine that breathes underwater through a ventilator system.

Routine maintenance consisted of topping up the batteries with distilled water from a large tank near the battery room. As with earlier submarines, the batteries were placed in a lower position to maintain the stability of the submarine.

In 1954, everything changed for the submarine with the launch of the nuclear-powered USS Nautilus. With steam turbines and lots of electricity to purify the water and air, nuclear submarines can stay underwater for months at a time and travel great distances at high speeds. Interestingly, the nuclear submarines still carry lead-acid battery packs for operating and returning to the water surface in the event of problems with nuclear reactors and generators.

The use of heavy-duty lead-acid batteries not only provides backup power for nuclear submarines but also maintains balance. This is because the air inside the submarine provides buoyancy, and the large amount of lead contained in the lead-acid batteries helps to drag the submarine underwater during a dive. Lighter batteries can be used, but submarines may still need lead ballast to help maintain their neutral buoyancy underwater.

Emergency power supply for hospitals

Hospitals are complex infrastructures that require a constant, stable and reliable power supply. Any brief power failure can result in patient data loss and disruption of rescue medical equipment, monitoring, emergency lighting, safety exit signs, and security systems.

Most hospitals have a battery backup system for short-term power interruptions and a generator system for longer power outages. It may take 10 minutes or more to repair power failure and to run backup power.

Hospital emergency batteries are in standby status most of the time. When a power outage occurs, the UPS system must discharge quickly at a high current until the generator can run properly. When power is restored, the uninterruptible power system continues to charge the battery and then enters another standby period. Although UPS batteries are not used often, these batteries are usually fast and solid, which is well suited for supplying power for hospitals.

Grid peak-shifting requirements

The grid must have strong generating capacities to provide reliable and stable power during peak periods. Historically, peak demand has typically been satisfied by higher-cost generators that battery storage systems are now used to meet.

Lead-acid batteries have a low up-front cost, making them attractive in power peak loading; however, short cycle life and the inability to remain uncharged or deeply discharged for long periods limit their use in utility-scale power system applications. Lead acid batteries are more suitable for some grid services which require frequent regulation, shallow charging, and discharging.

In 2012, East Penn Manufacturing developed a 3MW super battery that can provide frequency regulation and demand management services by a lead-acid battery hybrid system. When not providing additional services to the grid, the energy storage system can provide demand management services to the local distribution utility.

Lead-acid batteries for electric vehicles

Lithium-ion batteries are the first choice in power batteries for electric vehicle (EV) traction motors but many continue to use lead-acid batteries to power systems such as starter system microprocessors, lighting, radios, and entertainment. Low-voltage lead-acid batteries are typically charged using a DC-DC converter that converts the high voltage (300-600V) of the lithium-ion battery pack to a low voltage (12V) that maintains the lead-acid battery's charge.

Cost and simplicity of operation are the main drivers for using lead-acid batteries in electric vehicle accessory applications. The lead-acid batteries are heavy, as time goes by, electric vehicles begin to use lighter 12V auxiliary lithium-ion batteries or no auxiliary batteries but directly power low-voltage circuits of lead acid batteries through a DC-DC converter.