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Lead–acid battery
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<p>The lead-acid battery is a type of <a href="/facts/Rechargeable_battery/A6zUkPkW">rechargeable battery</a> first invented in 1859 by French physicist <a href="/facts/Gaston_Plant%25C3%25A9/16aq4R1E">Gaston Planté</a>. It is the first type of rechargeable battery ever created. Compared to modern rechargeable batteries, lead-acid batteries have relatively low <a href="/facts/Energy_density/mwBXA7bC">energy density</a>. Despite this, they are able to supply high <a href="/facts/Surge_current/0qg0rKmL">surge currents</a>. These features, along with their low cost, make them attractive for use in motor vehicles in order to provide the high current required by <a href="/facts/Starter_motor/4IFcgw83">starter motors</a>. Lead-acid batteries suffer from relatively short cycle lifespan (usually less than 500 deep cycles) and overall lifespan (due to the <i>double sulfation</i> in the discharged state), as well as long charging times. </p><p>As they are not expensive 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 <a href="/facts/Billion/d9KjEYSt">billion</a>. Large-format lead-acid designs are widely used for storage in backup power supplies in telecommunications networks such as for <a href="/facts/Cell_site/BIKMtles">cell sites</a>, high-availability <a href="/facts/Emergency_power_system/xlHTYP01">emergency power systems</a> as used in hospitals, and <a href="/facts/Stand-alone_power_system/4TgrLkLh">stand-alone power systems</a>. For these roles, modified versions of the standard cell may be used to improve storage times and reduce maintenance requirements. <i>Gel cell</i> and <i>absorbed glass mat</i> batteries are common in these roles, collectively known as <a href="/facts/VRLA_battery/fmPQ48sY"><i>valve-regulated lead-acid</i> (<i>VRLA</i>) <i>batteries</i></a>. </p><p>When charged, the battery's chemical energy is stored in the potential difference between metallic <a href="/facts/Lead/EYljasJN">lead</a> at the negative side and <a href="/facts/Lead_dioxide/dQb52eNu">lead dioxide</a> on the positive side. </p>