Abstract: A recombinant lead acid battery is provided having positive and negative plates coated with active material and separated by a compressible separator material containing an electrolyte. A casing provides structural support for the plates and encases the battery's components. The battery is preferably a recombinant lead acid battery with its plates being formed of lead foil sheets. The casing is reinforced and arranged to i) maintain a substantially evenly distributed compressive force on the separator material and ii) maintain a constant spacing between the plates. The battery is arranged to maintain a compressive force of at least eight psi on the plates which has been found to significantly reduce the incidence of premature capacity loss (PCL). By way of example, compressive forces in the range of 8-14 psi work well for conventional separator materials.

Abstract: A rechargeable battery module is disclosed that is particularly well adapted for use in multi-module battery packs. The module includes top and bottom cover plates. At least a portion of each cover plate is formed from electrically conductive materials so that when the battery module is integrated into a stack, the contacts between adjacent battery units are formed by the cover plates. A positive plate that has a positive surface is placed in electrical contact with a first cover plate. A negative plate having a negative surface is also provided. The negative plate is arranged in electrical contact with the second cover plate. The battery includes a plurality of active paste layers. Each active paste layer is applied to an associated surface. One or more separators are provided to isolate the paste layers. The first and second cover plates are electrically isolated by at least the paste layers and the separator means. The cover plates may be ribbed to provide structural support.