History of the battery

The history of the battery traces the development of electrochemical cells, from early experiments with electricity to modern systems that store and deliver electrical energy.

Voltaic pile: An early battery made from alternating disks of zinc and copper separated by electrolyte-soaked material. Alessandro Volta’s 1800 device demonstrated continuous current from stacked electrochemical cells.
Electrochemical cell: A device in which chemical reactions produce electrical energy or electrical energy drives chemical change. Each battery design in this history is built from one or more electrochemical cells.
Telegraphy: The transmission of coded messages over distance using electrical signals. Telegraph networks created demand for dependable batteries that could supply steady current.
William Robert Grove: A Welsh judge and scientist who developed the Grove cell and investigated electrochemical phenomena. His cell provided a powerful nineteenth-century source of laboratory electricity.
Primary cell: An electrochemical cell designed for use until its reactants are depleted rather than being recharged. Early commercial batteries often traded reusability for simple, dependable operation.
Luigi Galvani: An Italian physician whose experiments with frog muscles helped inspire debates about animal and chemical electricity. His experiments prompted Volta to investigate whether metals, rather than animal tissue, generated electricity.
Redox reaction: A chemical reaction involving transfer of electrons between substances. Electron transfer is the shared chemical basis of the cells developed across the centuries.
Electric vehicle: A vehicle propelled partly or entirely by electric motors. Battery-powered vehicles appeared early and later became a major driver of storage research.
Gaston Planté: A French physicist who invented the lead–acid rechargeable battery in 1859. His design introduced practical secondary storage that could be repeatedly recharged.
Secondary cell: An electrochemical cell designed to be recharged by reversing its chemical reactions. Its emergence marks the move from disposable power sources to reusable storage.

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