Next-Gen Car Batteries Promise Longer Life, More Power

Next-Gen Car Batteries Promise Longer Life, More Power:

Firefly Energy, a spinoff from heavy equipment manufacturer Caterpillar, is breathing new life into lead-acid batteries, a technology that hasn't changed much since Thomas Edison used them to power electric cars in the 1890s.

Firefly has replaced the lead plates found inside conventional batteries with a lead-impregnated foam made from carbon graphite — one of the few materials that can withstand the highly corrosive sulfuric acid inside batteries. The foam increases the surface area of lead inside the battery, delivering more power and slashing the recharge time, says Firefly CEO Ed Williams.

Equally important, Firefly's approach eliminates the crystals that can build up inside lead-acid batteries. Over time, those crystals reduce the amount of electricity a battery can hold, one of the major reasons electric and hybrid automakers have favored lithium-ion or nickel batteries, even though lead acid is less expensive.

"Our batteries will come back to their full capacity for years," says Williams.

In addition to electric and hybrid cars, Firefly is looking at snowmobiles and lawn mowers — anything that sits for long periods without being used. Lack of use is really hard on lead-acid batteries, and shortens their life significantly because of the formation of those crystals.

Firefly is eying other markets as well, such as data centers, which use lead-acid batteries in backup power systems, and truck manufacturers, who pack large banks of batteries into the cabs of semis to provide power for drivers when they're not on the road.