Lead–acid batteries were used to supply the filament (heater) voltage, with 2 V common in early vacuum tube (valve) radio receivers. Portable batteries for miners' cap headlamps typically have two or three cells. Lead–acid batteries designed for starting automotive engines are not designed for deep discharge.
Thelithium-ion battery has emerged as the most serious contender for dethroning the lead-acid battery. Lithium-ion batteries are on the other end of the energy density scale from lead-acid batteries. They have the highest energy to volume and energy to weight ratio of the major types of secondary battery.
In comparison, lead-acid battery packs are still around$150/kWh, and that’s 160 years after the lead-acid battery was invented. Thus, it may not be long before the most energy dense battery is also the cheapest battery. That has enormous implications for the future of lead-acid batteries. Another important consideration is a battery’s capacity.
Today’s innovative lead acid batteries are key to a cleaner, greener future and provide nearly 45% of the world’s rechargeable power. They’re also the most environmentally sustainable battery technology and a stellar example of a circular economy. Batteries Used?
While they don’t cite base capacity costs for lithium-ion batteries versus lead-acid batteries, they do note in a presentation that a lead-acid batterycan be replaced by a lithium-ion battery with as little as 60% of the same capacity:
The key to this revolution has been the development of affordable batteries with much greater energy density. This new generation of batteriesthreatens to end the lengthy reign of the lead-acid battery. But consumers could be forgiven for being confused about the many different battery types vying for market share in this exciting new future.