History of Batteries Timeline

The basic principle of the lead–acid battery has not changed since 1859. Later designs improved construction and performance while retaining the same fundamental electrochemical system.

In 1859, Gaston Planté invented the lead–acid battery, the first battery that could be recharged by passing a reverse current through it. Its rechargeable chemistry became foundational for later energy-storage systems.

In 1881, Camille Alphonse Faure invented an improved lead–acid battery. His design used a lead grid lattice into which lead oxide paste was pressed to form a plate.

In 1899, Swedish scientist Waldemar Jungner invented the nickel–cadmium battery. It used nickel and cadmium electrodes in potassium hydroxide solution and was the first battery to use an alkaline electrolyte.

Waldemar Jungner patented a nickel–iron battery in 1899, the same year as his nickel–cadmium patent. He found it inferior to the cadmium counterpart and did not develop it further at that time.

Image source: Nickel–iron battery

After many experiments, and probably borrowing from Jungner's earlier design, he patented an alkaline-based nickel–iron battery in 1901.

The nickel–cadmium battery was commercialized in Sweden in 1910, bringing Jungner's rechargeable alkaline technology into practical commercial use.

The nickel–cadmium battery reached the United States in 1946 after its earlier commercialization in Sweden.

The introduction of nickel- and lithium-based batteries in the latter half of the 20th century made innumerable portable electronic devices feasible, from powerful flashlights to mobile phones.

Image source: Electric battery

The first consumer-grade nickel–metal hydride batteries for smaller applications appeared on the market in 1989. They developed as a variation of the 1970s nickel–hydrogen battery.

Image source: Nickel–metal hydride battery

Experimentation with lithium batteries began in 1912 under American physical chemist Gilbert N. Lewis. Commercial lithium batteries, however, would not reach the market until the 1970s.

Although lithium-battery experimentation began in 1912, commercial lithium batteries did not come to market until the 1970s, eventually leading to the lithium-ion battery era.

Image source: Lithium-ion battery

In 1980, American chemist John B. Goodenough discovered the lithium cobalt oxide cathode, while Moroccan research scientist Rachid Yazami discovered the graphite anode used with a solid electrolyte.

Image source: Lithium-ion battery

In 1981, Japanese chemists Tokio Yamabe and Shizukuni Yata discovered a novel nano-carbonaceous polyacene material and found it highly effective as an anode in a conventional liquid electrolyte.

A research team managed by Akira Yoshino of Asahi Chemical in Japan built the first lithium-ion battery prototype in 1985. It was a rechargeable and more stable version of the lithium battery.

Sony commercialized the lithium-ion battery in 1991, helping establish a rechargeable technology with the energy density and portability needed for modern electronic devices.

In 1997, the lithium polymer battery was released by Sony and Asahi Kasei. Its polymer-based construction offered another approach to rechargeable lithium battery design.

Image source: Lithium polymer battery

In 2019, John Goodenough, Stanley Whittingham, and Akira Yoshino were awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for their development of lithium-ion batteries.

High costs and concerns about mineral extraction associated with lithium chemistry renewed interest in sodium-ion battery development. Early electric-vehicle product launches using the technology appeared in 2023.