Lead-acid batteries or “starting batteries,” as they are also called, are the oldest rechargeable batteries in existence and the first used for commercial use. They have dominated the market for over 100 years, ever since their invention in the 1850s by Gaston Plante, a French engineer, and continue to weave their magic to this day. The surge of new batteries in the market has not lessened their importance.

Today, lead-acid are cost-effective and their ability to supply high surge currents, makes them the most viable option for use in cars and other motor vehicles, as they meet the requirement of the high current that automobile starter motors need.

Car batteries are used to start diesel or gasoline engines, as they provide the electricity needed for starter motors, ignition, lights and other electronic features. Most of the car batteries are lead-acid batteries and the energy is produced through a chemical process that involves lead, lead oxide and a liquid electrolyte solution. Plates of lead and lead oxide sit in the electrolyte solution that is made up of a small percentage of sulfuric acid and more of water. This causes a chemical reaction and electrons are released, which are all routed through conductors in the battery to generate the electricity needed for the car.

When lead batteries are discharged, sulfuric acid forms on the lead plates, and when they are recharged again, this sulfuric acid on the plates breaks back into its constituent lead and lead oxide.

Some car batteries need maintenance in the form of adding water. It was during the 1970s that maintenance-free sealed lead-acid batteries were developed and they can be used in any position, sideways or upside down without the risk of acid leakage. The liquid electrolyte is gelled into separators and sealed. Safety valves are used to allow venting during charging, discharging and other atmospheric pressure changes.

Currently, there are two lead-acid systems used, the small sealed lead-acid (SLA) and the larger valve-regulated lead-acid (VRLA).

The newer type of sealed lead-acid batteries are the Absorbed Glass Mat batteries (AGM) that are maintenance free and the plates are mounted in such a way that they can withstand extensive vibration and shock. The hydrogen emission from cars using these batteries is less than 4% and self-discharge is extremely low at 1-3% per month. This gives them long storage before the need to recharge. These batteries are more expensive than the flooded lead-acid batteries (liquid electrolyte), but because of their durability, they are the preferred version for high performance cars rather than the flooded variety.

One of the best things about lead-acid batteries is their self-discharge, which is one of the best on rechargeable batteries at about 40% per year, in comparison with nickel-cadmium that self-discharges in three months.

In conclusion, lead-acid batteries are a perfect choice for cars as they are inexpensive, reliable and provide dependable service, durable when used appropriately, and they have the lowest self-discharge rate among rechargeable batteries.

All batteries will fail at some point, when they have been in use for longer periods of time. But premature battery failure is one of the main frustrations people face.

Common thinking is that turning devices off extends battery life, but what happens is the opposite. Devices consume more power when they are starting up, so turning them off is not such a good idea if they are going to be switched on frequently.

Cars and Other Automobiles

It is important to protect the car battery from high under the hood temperatures with the use of a case or a heat shield. The battery life can be extended by keeping the battery charged at all times. Electrolyte levels will have to be checked frequently during the hot months. A recent study revealed that relocating the battery outside the engine compartment has increased its life by almost eight months. Car manufacturers are relocating the starting battery to the passenger compartment or the trunk to avoid under the hood temperatures. It also helps to use wet batteries vented to the outside or cells that do not produce gas when recharged. Based on the driving of each individual, some batteries are undercharged and this leads to sulfation, where lead sulfate gets accumulated, reducing the battery capacity. An external battery can be used for charging.

For any battery, the most important factor to consider is the temperature. Ensuring they are not exposed to too much heat can extend the life of a battery. It is common sense that high temperatures lead to faster chemical reactions. They need to be watered more often with only deionized or demineralized water. However, rain water is a good substitute in an emergency. In addition to the temperature, a reduction in the number of discharge/charge cycles significantly improves battery service life. In extremely cold climates, the car battery needs to be continuously kept fully charged when not in use.

Portable Electronic Devices

Battery life can be increased for iPods, cell phones, laptops etc. by lowering the brightness when not necessary. For example, when using these devices in a dark room, it is not necessary to set the brightness to 100%. The brightness can be lowered enough so that the screen can be seen without exerting any strain on the eyes can be done. The amount of time the backlight stays on can also be decreased. For iPods it doesn’t have to stay on for 10 seconds, 2 seconds should be good enough. Laptops can be set in hibernate mode when not in use.

One most important point that not many people are aware of is that turning down the volume increases battery life. Use headphones that are louder and leave the volume at 50%.

Background applications are power hungry monsters. Stop everything that is not being used. Defragmenting the hard drive once in a while helps decrease file scatter on the hard drive and uses up less power. Send the computer into standby mode after a certain period of inactivity as it conserves battery. Although, standby resume also uses some power but not as much as starting up. Interestingly, leaving a CD or DVD in the drive can decrease battery life, as it hogs power whenever the drive spins up.

In Wi-Fi Applications

Battery life in Wi-Fi apps can be prolonged by either increasing battery capacity or reducing Wi-Fi product power consumption and through control methods. It is easy to increase battery capacity; however, due to technological limits, it may lead to an increase in cost and size of the battery. That brings us to the option of reducing power consumption, which can be done by prolonging the standby time and shortening the time of the active cycle. You can also turn off the WiFi on the iPod when not in use as it consumes a large amount of life.

These techniques of low power consumption can improve battery life dramatically. Most of them are common sense usage techniques and can easily be made part of our daily lives.