What better way to celebrate the February 18th birthday of Alessandro Volta, the inventor of the battery, than with a positively fascinating collection of Top Ten Lead Battery Facts. The list was released recently by the trade association, Battery Council International, in honor of National Battery Week 2020, which began February 17. Economically, the $80 billion global lead battery industry is expected to grow 110% over the next decade to $115 billion.
Most of this growth is attributed to the rapidly expanding need for energy storage as we transition to a more electrified society. Innovative lead batteries keep us mobile and connected, whether for transportation or providing essential backup power for critical telecommunications and data centers.
What’s more, current R&D in progress is expected to unlock the exciting untapped potential of the trusted lead battery chemistry. So, as we celebrate the history of lead batteries, we also have an eye on future applications for this essential technology.
Top 10 Lead Battery Facts:
- Lead batteries provide more than 70% of the world’s rechargeable power.
- In 2020, lead batteries are projected to account for nearly 90% of the backup power needed to keep our highly connected and mobile lives running smoothly.
- Lead batteries are the best example of a circular economy, according to the World Economic Forum and the MIT Center of Transportation.
- In the U.S., an amazing 99% of all lead batteries are recycled (most recycled consumer product), which keeps more than 130 million lead batteries from landfills each year.
- S. lead battery manufacturers source approximately 70% of the needed lead from domestic recycling facilities and a new lead battery is typically comprised of more than 80% recycled material.
- Lead batteries power more than 275 million U.S. vehicles, including hybrids and EVs.
- Start-stop technology using lead batteries is eliminating 4.5 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions annually in the U.S.
- The lifespan of a lead battery has increased by nearly 30 percent over the last 20 years.
- Lead batteries contribute $26.3 billion to the U.S. economy each year.
- Lead battery manufacturers and recyclers provide nearly 25,000 direct jobs and support over 92,000 total jobs in the U.S.
