Reliable & Proven Track Record

Reliable icon for lead batteries

Lead batteries’ proven track record, cost-efficiency and unrivaled reliability make them the battery of choice for essential energy storage applications everywhere from hospitals and data centers to material handling and logistics.

Unrivaled Reliable Energy Storage Solution

Although lead batteries may be the world’s oldest rechargeable battery technology, through research and innovation they continue to evolve. For more than a century they have been a reliable source of energy for power in cars and trucks, and recent advancements have positioned them to be integral to the success of hybrid and electric vehicles, as well as renewable energy storage for wind and solar farms.

Lead batteries are by far the safest technology when it comes to the risks of overcharging, exposure to heat, mechanical damage and short-circuiting.

Recent technical performance advancements have only increased this reliability. Over the last 20 years, the lifespan of a lead battery has increased by 30-35%. Their dependable nature is also attracting use in new applications, such as port cranes and elevators.

The lead battery industry offers a proven and reliable battery technology that can be delivered today, at scale, and sourced from domestic materials, unlike newer battery technologies.

The Most Commonly Used Rechargeable Batteries

The reliability of the lead battery has made it the most commonly used rechargeable battery technology for the widest range of applications. Some have demonstrated calendar lives of up to 30 years in standby applications (e.g. Bell Labs round cell standby battery technology).

Their reliability holds true in a wide range of applications that require variable rates and depths of discharge, wide temperature ranges, partial state of charge conditions, high charge rates and many other fluctuating conditions. Recent innovations in raw materials, battery designs and manufacturing processes continue to demonstrate the superior reliability of lead battery technology.

Reliable lead batteries storing energy from wind turbines
Lead batteries provide 50% of the world’s rechargeable energy storage needs.

Reliable, Sustainable Energy Storage Technology

When power is critical, no other battery chemistry is more trusted than lead. Lead batteries provide protection from sudden power outages in applications ranging from the United States’ $1 trillion communications infrastructure to life-saving hospital equipment.

A reliable battery doesn’t mean it’s old-fashioned. Today’s lead batteries are safe to use in innovative energy applications, such as energy storage for wind and solar facilities, logistics and warehouses, public transportation and vehicles with start-stop technology.

Plus, unlike other storage options, lead batteries are the most environmentally sustainable battery technology – with an almost 100 percent recycling rate in the U.S.

Venkat Srinivasan from the Argonne Collaborative Center

The lead acid battery ... is legendary. We can recycle 95+ percent of [these] batteries all across the world. It's a very safe chemistry, ... [and] we understand how to use it very, very well.

Dr. Venkat Srinivasan, Director, Argonne Collaborative Center for Energy Storage Science