Past, present, and future of lead–acid batteries
W hen Gaston Planté invented the lead–acid battery more than 160 years ago, he could not have fore-seen it spurring a multibillion-dol-lar industry. Despite an apparently low energy density—30 to 40% of the theoretical limit versus 90% for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs)—lead–acid batteries are made from abundant low-cost materials and nonflammable …