The lead acid battery is the most success-ful electrochemical energy storage system on the market and the key choice for emer-gency power, engine start and motive power functions. It comes in sizes from 12 V 0.5 Ah camcorder batteries all the way to 2 V 12.000 Ah submarine battery cells.

Its history dates back to 1789 with its birthdate being debated being either 1854 or 1859.

Key milestones are:

2000 Lead acid batteries will be ready to power the global communication highways.

1990 Lead acid batteries power the cellular telephone revolution.

1980 Stationary VRLA batteries based on AGM technology are developed.

1968 The maintenance free SLI battery is developed.

1965 Polypropylene SLI battery cases start to be used.

1958 Jache describes the gel VRLA battery.

1951 Lead calcium alloys are used in telephone exchange stationary lead acid batteries.

1918 Shimazu describes the ball mill oxide.

1915 Willard introduces rubber separators.

1910 The iron-clad or tubular plate construction is introduced.

1907 A lead calcium alloy is patented.

1904 Red cedar wood is used as battery separator.

1882 Gladstone and Tribe describe the so called double-sulfate theory i.e. the basis of operation of the lead acid battery. Tudor operates a lead acid battery factory in Luxembourg.

1881 Faure discovers the pasted plate which yields a mayor breakthrough in capacity. A lead antimony alloy is used the first time to give strength.

1859 Planté improves the capacity of the lead acid batteries with a technique still in use today (Planté type plates).

1854 Sinstede uses the first time lead plates in sulfuric acid to store i.e. accumulate, electricity.

1800 Volta demonstrates to Napoleon the Volta pile, a primary, non rechargeable battery.

1789 Galvani carries out his frog leg experiments.