Lead–acid battery
rechargeable battery type often used in cars
The lead–acid battery is a type of rechargeable battery. First invented in 1859 by French physicist Gaston Planté, it was the first type of rechargeable battery ever created. Compared to the more modern rechargeable batteries, lead–acid batteries have relatively low energy density and heavier weight. Despite this, they are able to supply high surge currents. These features, along with their low cost, make them useful for motor vehicles in order to provide the high current required by starter motors. Lead–acid batteries suffer from relatively short cycle lifespan (usually less than 500 deep cycles) and overall lifespan (due to the double sulfation in the discharged state), as well as long charging times; an average automotive battery takes anywhere between 6 and 12 hours to fully charge from a discharged state.
As they are not as expensive when compared to newer technologies, lead–acid batteries are widely used even when surge current is not important and other designs could provide higher energy densities. In 1999, lead–acid battery sales accounted for 40–50% of the value from batteries sold worldwide (excluding China and Russia), equivalent to a manufacturing market value of about US$15 billion. Large-format lead–acid designs are widely used for storage in backup power supplies in telecommunications networks such as for cell sites, high-availability emergency power systems as used in hospitals, and stand-alone power systems. For these roles, modified versions of the standard cell may be used to improve storage times and reduce maintenance requirements.
The public source identifies “Lead–acid battery” as rechargeable battery type often used in cars. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Lead, acid and battery.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Lead–acid battery”, the useful work is to connect “rechargeable battery type often used in cars” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
Named sources, stable identifiers and responsible institutions provide the strongest route from overview to verifiable evidence. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 29, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q337724. The Library of Congress control number is sh93003488. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1859 and 1999.
The absence of detail may reflect summary conventions rather than a lack of surviving documentation. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.
- Subject orientation
- Search vocabulary
- Locating named sources
The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Lead–acid battery”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Lead–acid battery primary sources, Lead–acid battery archive and Lead research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Lead–acid battery”?
- Which institution is responsible for the underlying evidence?
- What terminology or title could unlock a more precise catalogue search?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Lead–acid battery” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.