Lead Acid Batteries in the Era of Vehicle Electrification

In the world of vehicle electrification, electric cars powered exclusively by lithium ion batteries are the media darlings. It makes sense that a complete replacement of hydrocarbons for electrons would garner a lot of attention. But the high cost of lithium ion batteries means big price tags and limited market acceptance. While lead acid batteries are not as well-suited to revolutionary levels of vehicle electrification, they are expected to save millions of gallons of fuel – by stopping gas cars from idling using a technology known as micro-hybridization.

“Battery electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles offer large fuel savings per vehicle but won’t quickly oust the internal combustion engine,” said Eckhard Karden, technical expert for battery and energy storage at Ford Europe. He pointed to limitations of battery range and higher cost. “In contrast, micro-hybrids offer lower fuel savings per vehicle, roughly 5 to 10 percent, but are affordable in large volumes, partly because of the lead acid cost advantage.” At a presentation Karden delivered at Advanced Automotive Battery Conference in Mainz, Germany in June 2011, he characterized micro-hybrids as “the fastest growing mass market for powertrain electrification” and predicted that beginning in, but not limited to Europe, “micro-hybridization will become a standard feature.”