Disclosed herein are soluble content absorbent glass mats or AGM separators for VRLA, AGM, or VRLA AGM batteries. Such glass mats may be prepared from insoluble glass fibers blended with soluble content materials. Upon exposure to a suitable solvent, the dissolving or solvating of the soluble content produces voids within the glass mat. The voids enhance the absorption of the solvent within the glass mat. The soluble content may be acid-soluble glass fibers or microfibers.

Improved battery separators, batteries, and systems, as well as methods relating thereto are disclosed herein for use in various lead acid batteries such as valve-regulated lead acid (VRLA) batteries that include one or more AGM layers. The improved battery separators described herein may provide a battery system with an advantage of a significantly decreased acid filling time and a significantly increased acid filling speed. Various improved batteries, methods and systems are described herein using such improved battery separators that increase acid filling speed and decrease acid filling time for a VRLA battery.

Improved battery separators are disclosed herein for use in various lead acid batteries, and in particular lead acid battery strings. The improved separators, batteries, battery strings, methods, and vehicles disclosed herein provide substantially increased battery life, substantially reduced battery fail rate, and substantially higher voltage uniformity among the various batteries in a battery string. The improved battery strings may be advantageously employed in high depth of discharge applications such as electric bicycles, golf carts (or golf cars), uninterrupted power supply (UPS) backup power battery strings, and the like.

A valve regulated lead-acid battery includes a positive electrode current collector which is a punched current collector obtained by punching a rolled sheet of lead alloy and in which the average interlayer distance in a layered current collector structure at a cross-section parallel to the rolling direction and along the thickness direction of the current collector is not less than 25 m and not more than 180 m.

Disclosed herein are soluble content absorbent glass mats or AGM separators for VRLA, AGM, or VRLA AGM batteries. Such glass mats may be prepared from insoluble glass fibers blended with soluble content materials. Upon exposure to a suitable solvent, the dissolving or solvating of the soluble content produces voids within the glass mat. The voids enhance the absorption of the solvent within the glass mat. The soluble content may be acid-soluble glass fibers or microfibers.

In a lead-acid storage battery including a container housing elements formed by alternately layering positive electrode plates and negative electrode plates with deformable separators interposed therebetween, the container includes a narrow portion having a small inside dimension in a width direction intersecting a layered direction of the elements, widths of the respective plates are smaller than the inside dimension in the width direction of the narrow portion of the container, and widths of the separators are greater than or equal to the inside dimension of the narrow portion of the container.

Disclosed herein is a composition for use in a negative active material in a valve regulated lead-acid battery, including a carbon material having a BET surface area from 150 m.sup.2/g to 2000 m.sup.2/g and having a D.sub.90-value greater than 5 ?m with the amount of carbon material ranging from 0.1 wt % to 1.5 wt % based on the total weight of the composition. Also disclosed herein is a valve regulated lead-acid battery, including a positive plate, a negative plate, a separator, and an electrolyte disposed in a container with a valve, the negative plate including a substrate of lead or a lead alloy and a negative active material of a composition including a carbon material having a BET surface area from 150 m.sup.2/g to 2000 m.sup.2/g and having a D.sub.90-value greater than 5 ?m, the amount of carbon material ranging from 0.1 wt % to 1.5 wt % based on the total weight of the composition.

A battery valve assembly is disclosed having a body with a first end and an opposite second end. The body includes a receiving passageway extending through the body from the first end to the second end, and an elongated base positioned proximate to the second end. The valve assembly also includes a hydrophobic barrier.

A device for restoring energy parameters of a battery is provided. The device includes a supporting frame, a controller, and a battery container configured to receive the battery therein, the battery container being operably coupled to a controlling inverter and a motor comprising a motor reductor. The controlling inverter is configured to regulate a rotational speed of the motor. The motor reductor is configured to facilitate rotation of the battery container. Methods of restoring energy parameters of a battery are also provided.

Disclosed are electrode plates for a lead acid battery. The electrode plates are formed of an electrode plate having a face, the electrode plate comprising a lead or lead alloy grid coated with an active material and the electrode plates having a porous, non-woven mat comprised of polymer fibers coating on the face of the electrode plate, as well as a method for making the coated electrode plates and lead acid batteries containing the coated electrode plates.