A Brief History of the Battery

Society’s need for energy has long guided the course of technological development. From steam to electric, petroleum to nuclear, the modern world is in constant need of power. Yet, despite the many large-scale advances in power generation, it was the ability to capture, shrink and store power in batteries that ushered in so many of the modern conveniences we now take for granted. The history and development of the battery dates back much further than most people imagine, and while recent advances might have gone unnoticed, batteries are safer, longer lasting and more recyclable than ever.

Early Years

Some historians suggest that the earliest known batteries were invented over 2,000 years ago. The primitive invention, discovered in Baghdad in 1932, might have been used for jewelry making. Real progress on storing electric current was not made again until the late 18^th century, when Alessandro Volta (for whom the volt is named) stacked discs soaked with a salt solution between zinc and copper plates to create an electric current. This formed the basis for modern battery technology.

As We Know it

The first wet cell (such as automobile) batteries and dry cell (such as those in your remote control) batteries were invented in the later half of the 19^th century, and by 1900 the D battery was powering the first flashlights. Interestingly, the rechargeable battery is nearly 150 years old, and todays’ car batteries use technology that is not much changed from the original lead-acid design. Of course, no one wants to power their iPod with a car battery, so many of the technological advances have focused on making batteries longer lasting and lighter weight. The rechargeable battery has gone through three major evolutions:

• Nickel-Cadmium (NiCd): First used commercially in the 1960s, these were the original dry cell rechargeable batteries. Unfortunately, cadmium is toxic, and these batteries are prone to what is called the “memory effect.” For instance, if an NiCd battery is repeatedly charged when at 50 percent power, it will eventually “forget” that it has the other 50 percent, and its useful life will be cut short by half.

• Nickel-Metal Hydride (NiMH): Free from toxic cadmium and longer lasting than NiCd, NiMH batteries also have very little memory effect.

• Lithium Ion (Li Ion): Lithium ion batteries are lighter weight, longer lasting and more quick to charge than their Nickel-based relatives. They are also free from both memory effect and environmental hazards. Newer Lithium-based batteries continue to improve these key areas of performance.

While single use batteries are also going through an evolution (much of which involves their transition to some form of rechargeable, or secondary, batteries), the most significant development in recent years came in 1996. Congress passed “The Mercury-Containing and Rechargeable Battery Management Act,” which mandated the removal of mercury from nearly all batteries. This greatly reduced the environmental impact caused by hundreds of millions of batteries (and the mercury with them) being landfilled or incinerated each year. The act also outlined procedures for recycling NiCd batteries.

Looking Forward

Battery producers continue to balance desires for battery longevity with the need for environmental responsibility as they seek to improve battery performance. One certainty is that as technology and resources continue to shrink, demand for portable and reusable power is only going to grow.