World inTimelines

Timeline of Batteries

Batteries from Alessandro Volta's pile in 1800 to sodium-ion vehicle production in 2023, following rechargeable chemistry, industrial manufacturing, portable electronics, electric vehicles, and electricity storage.

Category
Engineering & Technology
Tags
energy electronics inventions
Events
18 events 1800 – 2023
Generated
by gpt-6

  1. Volta introduces a continuous source of current

    Alessandro Volta described a stack of alternating metal discs separated by electrolyte-soaked material. The voltaic pile supplied a sustained electric current, giving experimenters a power source for electrolysis and other research that static-electricity machines could not provide.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voltaic_pile

  2. Daniell develops a steadier electrical cell

    John Frederic Daniell developed a cell with separate chemical solutions that reduced the buildup of hydrogen responsible for weakening earlier batteries. Its more stable output made it useful for electrical measurements and expanding telegraph networks.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniell_cell

  3. Planté makes the first rechargeable battery

    Gaston Planté developed a lead-acid battery whose chemical reactions could be reversed by passing current through it. Recharging made repeated use possible without replacing the active materials, establishing an approach later used in vehicle starting and backup power.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lead–acid_battery

  4. Leclanché introduces a practical primary cell

    Georges Leclanché patented a zinc and manganese-dioxide cell with an ammonium-chloride electrolyte. The relatively inexpensive design served intermittent loads such as bells and telegraph equipment and became the chemical foundation of later zinc-carbon dry cells.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leclanché_cell

  5. Faure makes lead-acid production more practical

    Camille Alphonse Faure improved lead-acid batteries by applying lead-oxide paste to plates. The design increased usable capacity and reduced the lengthy preparation required by earlier electrodes, helping turn rechargeable batteries into an industrial product.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camille_Alphonse_Faure

  6. Gassner patents a spill-resistant dry cell

    Carl Gassner patented a battery that held its electrolyte in a paste rather than an open liquid reservoir. The design reduced spills and maintenance, making batteries more practical for portable equipment and household electrical devices.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_Gassner

  7. Jungner develops nickel-cadmium storage

    Waldemar Jungner developed a rechargeable nickel-cadmium battery in Sweden. Its alkaline electrolyte and robust electrodes offered an alternative to lead-acid chemistry, later serving aviation, industrial equipment, and portable tools.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nickel–cadmium_battery

  8. Eveready produces a longer-lasting alkaline battery

    Eveready began producing Lewis Urry's alkaline battery design. Powdered zinc and an alkaline electrolyte improved performance over common zinc-carbon cells, helping meet the growing demand for portable radios, toys, and other consumer electronics.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lewis_Urry

  9. Whittingham demonstrates a rechargeable lithium cell

    M. Stanley Whittingham reported a rechargeable battery using a titanium-disulfide cathode that could accept and release lithium ions. Work at Exxon demonstrated high-energy lithium chemistry, but metallic lithium created short-circuit and fire problems during repeated charging.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M._Stanley_Whittingham

  10. Goodenough's team raises lithium battery voltage

    John B. Goodenough and colleagues demonstrated lithium cobalt oxide as a positive electrode material. The oxide supported a higher operating voltage than earlier sulfide cathodes, supplying a crucial component of later commercial lithium-ion batteries.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_B._Goodenough

  11. Yoshino replaces reactive lithium with carbon

    Akira Yoshino developed a rechargeable cell pairing a carbon-based negative electrode with lithium cobalt oxide. Lithium ions moved between the electrodes without a metallic-lithium anode, improving safety and providing a practical design for commercialization.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akira_Yoshino

  12. Nickel-metal hydride reaches consumer products

    Consumer-grade nickel-metal hydride batteries became commercially available. Hydrogen-storing alloys replaced cadmium in the negative electrode, offering rechargeable cells that later served portable electronics and hybrid vehicles.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nickel–metal_hydride_battery

  13. Sony commercializes lithium-ion batteries

    Sony introduced commercial lithium-ion batteries after years of work on materials, safety, and manufacturing. Their combination of rechargeability and high energy storage relative to weight supported smaller mobile phones, portable computers, and video cameras.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithium-ion_battery

  14. Researchers publish an iron-phosphate cathode

    Akshaya Padhi, K. S. Nanjundaswamy, and John B. Goodenough published research on lithium iron phosphate as a rechargeable-battery cathode. The chemistry offered a route to batteries without cobalt or nickel in the cathode and later became widely used in vehicles and stationary storage.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithium_iron_phosphate_battery

  15. Tesla ships a lithium-ion sports car

    Tesla began delivering the Roadster, which assembled thousands of small lithium-ion cells into a vehicle battery pack. The car demonstrated how cells produced for a large electronics industry could be adapted to a road vehicle through cooling, controls, and pack engineering.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tesla_Roadster_(first_generation)

  16. Paris deploys cars with solid polymer batteries

    The Autolib' car-sharing service launched in Paris using Bolloré Bluecars with lithium-metal polymer batteries. A solid polymer electrolyte replaced the liquid electrolyte used in conventional lithium-ion cells, putting an alternative battery architecture into everyday fleet operation.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bolloré_Bluecar

  17. Hornsdale puts large batteries on the grid

    The Hornsdale Power Reserve began operating in South Australia with lithium-ion batteries supplied by Tesla. The installation provided rapid grid-balancing services and stored electricity for later use, demonstrating commercial roles beyond powering portable devices and vehicles.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hornsdale_Power_Reserve

  18. Sodium-ion cells enter vehicle production

    A small electric car from China's Yiwei brand entered production using sodium-ion cells supplied by HiNa Battery. The launch moved a chemistry based on abundant sodium into automotive manufacturing, adding an alternative to lithium-based battery supply chains.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodium-ion_battery