Truck lead-acid batteries: the cornerstone of heavy-duty travel, persistence and innovation in iterations

The advancement of commercial vehicle electrification has never deviated from the core of "pragmatic adaptation." In the field of truck power and auxiliary power supply, lead-acid batteries have been deeply involved in the market for decades with the advantages of mature technology, low cost, and controllable safety, and have become the battery category with the largest number of reserves and the most widely used. For a long time, lead-acid batteries have played a key role in "backup protection", whether it is the starting power supply for heavy trucks or light trucks, or the auxiliary power supply for short-distance operation vehicles. Although new batteries such as lithium batteries and sodium batteries are accelerating to break through, in segmented scenarios that are cost-sensitive, complex working conditions, and well-equipped, truck lead-acid batteries still occupy an irreplaceable position. At the same time, relying on technological upgrades, they continue to make breakthroughs in shortcomings such as environmental protection and lifespan, achieving a two-way force of "persistence and innovation" to support the stable progress of the heavy-duty transportation industry.
Core value: The natural advantages of lead-acid batteries adapted to trucks

The core requirements of truck operations are "stable and reliable, cost controllable, and easy maintenance." After more than 150 years of technological accumulation, lead-acid batteries have core characteristics that are highly consistent with the operating logic of trucks. Especially in core scenarios such as start-stop power supply and auxiliary power supply, the advantages are highlighted and have become a "rigidly needed configuration" for heavy-duty travel. This is also the core reason why it can dominate the market for a long time.

The cost is close to the people, and the entire industry chain is cost-effective. Lead-acid batteries are currently the cheapest secondary batteries. The unit energy price is only about 1/3 of lithium-ion batteries. The initial purchase cost is extremely low, which perfectly meets the core demands of truck users to "reduce costs and increase efficiency". At the same time, its industrial chain is extremely mature, with sufficient upstream lead resource reserves and perfect recycling technology. The residual value of used batteries is high, and the recycling price exceeds 30% of new batteries, further reducing the full life cycle cost. According to industry reports, global automotive lead-acid battery revenue will reach US$22.21 billion in 2024, of which demand in the commercial vehicle sector accounts for 42%, becoming the core engine for stable market growth. Behind this is its unparalleled cost advantage. For fleets such as logistics and engineering that are highly sensitive to "ton-kilometer cost", the cost advantage of lead-acid batteries is difficult to be replaced by new batteries in the short term. Especially in the fields of mid- to low-end light trucks and engineering vehicles, it is still the preferred configuration.

The technology is mature and suitable for complex heavy-load conditions. Lead-acid batteries have a long history of industrial production, a complete technical system, and stable and reliable performance. They do not require complex management systems and can adapt to complex working conditions such as high-frequency vibrations and high and low temperature fluctuations during truck driving. It has excellent adaptability to a wide temperature range and can work stably in environments ranging from -20°C to 60°C, meeting the operational needs of different regions such as northern winter and southern heat. It has a high startup success rate and effectively guarantees truck attendance. In addition, lead-acid batteries have outstanding high-rate discharge performance and can quickly provide the large current required for starting, adapting to the starting needs of heavy-duty trucks. This is also a key factor in its long-term use as the core choice of truck starting power supply. As the core low-voltage power supply of the truck, it mainly undertakes functions such as engine starting, ignition and lighting, body electrical power supply, and power-off backup. It is the basic guarantee for the normal operation of the entire vehicle.

Safe and controllable, with low threshold for convenient maintenance. During the driving of heavy-duty trucks, accidents such as bumps and collisions are inevitable, which places extremely high requirements on battery safety. Lead-acid batteries use dilute sulfuric acid as the electrolyte and are non-flammable. They adopt a normal or low-voltage design, which fundamentally eliminates risks such as thermal runaway, fire and explosion. Even if a short circuit or puncture occurs, only leakage will occur, making it far safer than lithium batteries. At the same time, the maintenance process of lead-acid batteries is simple and does not require professional equipment and technicians. Users can complete basic maintenance such as rehydration and testing by themselves. The maintenance cost is low. It adapts to the characteristics of trucks that are "operating in multiple scenarios and difficult to maintain timely and professionally". It is especially suitable for use in remote areas, mines and other scenes with incomplete supporting facilities. There is no need to worry about vehicle outage due to inconvenient maintenance.

Complete supporting facilities and a huge market share base. After decades of market development, the production, sales, maintenance and recycling system of truck lead-acid batteries has achieved nationwide coverage. Whether it is urban logistics parks, freight stations, remote mining areas, or township repair shops, relevant products and services can be easily obtained. At present, there are more than 380 million cars in China, of which fuel vehicles still account for more than 80%. The starting power source of these vehicles is mostly lead-acid batteries. Only start-stop lead-acid batteries account for 44% of my country's lead-acid battery market segment. The huge market share further consolidates its supporting advantages and forms a virtuous cycle of "product popularization - complete supporting facilities - user dependence", making it difficult to be quickly replaced by new batteries in the short term.

Industry status quo: stock-led, solving development pain points through iterations

At present, my country has become the world's largest producer, consumer and exporter of lead-acid batteries, accounting for more than 40% of the world's output. Lead-acid batteries for trucks are the core subcategory, supporting the stable operation of the heavy-duty transportation industry. The current industry is showing a development trend of "stock-led, head-concentrated, technological upgrading". At the same time, it is also facing challenges such as environmental protection constraints and the impact of new batteries. It is achieving high-quality development through technological innovation and industrial upgrading, in line with the requirements of national industrial standard development.

Leading companies lead the way, and industry concentration continues to increase. As environmental protection policies become stricter, small and medium-sized lead-acid battery companies are gradually being eliminated, and market share is concentrated at the top. In 2012, the number of lead-acid battery companies in my country exceeded 1,500. By August 2024, there are only 132 companies with operating licenses, and the market share of the top five companies is close to 70%. Leading companies such as Shuangdeng Co., Ltd., Sacred Sun Co., Ltd., Narada Power Supply, and Leoch International focus on the field of truck lead-acid batteries and launch special products adapted to heavy-duty working conditions, covering mainstream specifications such as 24V and 48V, taking into account multiple needs such as starting and parking power supply. At the same time, they have deployed upgraded products such as lead-carbon batteries, leading the industry's technological iteration. In 2024, the number of my country's lead-acid battery exports will reach about 250 million. Among them, lead-acid batteries for trucks are exported to Southeast Asia, Africa and other regions due to their high cost performance, occupying a certain overseas market share. It is expected that by 2031, global automotive lead-acid battery revenue will reach 34.01 billion US dollars, with a compound annual growth rate of 6.3% between 2025 and 2031. The industry development potential is still considerable.

The scene is deeply penetrated, and the advantages of subdivided fields are highlighted. The application scenarios of truck lead-acid batteries cover various types of vehicles, such as heavy trucks, light trucks, dump trucks, sanitation trucks, cold chain trucks, etc., focusing on two major areas: First, starting power supply, which is its core application scenario, adapting to the engine starting requirements of various trucks, ensuring normal starting and stopping of vehicles; second, auxiliary power supply, providing power support for the parking air conditioner, lighting, audio, on-board equipment, etc. of the truck, to solve the driver's power demand when parking and resting. It is worth noting that the vast majority of domestic heavy-duty trucks that have installed parking air conditioners still use lead-acid batteries. Although there are pain points such as short parking power supply time, they are still irreplaceable in mid- to low-end models. In scenarios such as short-distance transportation, mining operations, urban distribution, and sanitation projects, lead-acid batteries are still the mainstream choice due to their high cost performance and stability. However, in scenarios such as long-distance heavy-duty and high-end logistics that require higher battery life and lightweight, they are gradually being impacted by lithium batteries and sodium batteries. In addition, the AIDC computing power revolution has created new demands. Lead-acid batteries have become the first choice for backup power in data centers, which has also indirectly promoted the technological upgrading of its industrial chain and provided technical support for the optimization of lead-acid batteries for trucks.

Technology continues to be upgraded to solve core development pain points. Facing environmental protection constraints and the impact of new batteries, truck lead-acid batteries are making up for their shortcomings through technological innovation, which is also highly consistent with the country's requirements to "promote technological progress in the industry and promote advanced and mature processes." On the one hand, advanced products such as lead-carbon batteries and bipolar batteries are gradually promoted. As an upgraded version of lead-acid batteries, lead-carbon batteries introduce carbon materials into the negative electrode. The cycle life is increased by more than 30% compared with traditional lead-acid batteries. At the same time, low-temperature performance and charge and discharge efficiency are improved, adapting to the needs of trucks for high-frequency start-stop and parking power supply. The service life of some products can reach more than 3 years, solving the problem of traditional lead-acid batteries. The pain point of short life (usually only about 1 year, less than half a year in complex environments); on the other hand, environmentally friendly production technology continues to be optimized. Through automated and clean production processes, it is equipped with environmentally friendly equipment such as high-efficiency pulse lead dust processors and multi-stage wet lead smoke processors. It effectively controls the discharge of lead smoke, lead dust and wastewater, solves the problem of lead pollution, and meets the "double carbon" goal and the requirements of the global "lead removal" wave. In addition, the truck starting + energy storage integrated lead-acid battery system launched by No.5 Power and other companies solves the embarrassment of "the parking air conditioner consumes power and the vehicle cannot be started", further expands its application scenarios and reduces unnecessary carbon emissions. A 17.5-meter truck can reduce 15 tons of carbon emissions per year, helping car owners save tens of thousands of yuan in transportation costs.