Exide

Not to be confused with Exide Industries Ltd.

Exide Technologies is an American manufacturer of

lead-acid batteries, including automotive batteries and in-
dustrial batteries. Its four global business groups (Trans-
portation Americas, Transportation Europe and Rest of
World, Industrial Power Americas, and Industrial Power
Europe and Rest of World) provide stored electrical en-
ergy products and services.
Exides global headquarters are located in Milton, Geor-
gia. It has both manufacturing and recycling plants. The
former are located throughout the U.S., Pacic Rim, Eu-
rope and Australia. Recycling plants are located in Baton
Rouge, Louisiana; Canon Hollow, Missouri; Muncie, In-
diana; and Reading, Pennsylvania. Two former recycling
plants in Frisco, Texas and Vernon, California have been
closed in 2012 and 2013 due to regulatory inspections
that found toxic emissions and/or leakages of lead and
cadmium.[1]
Transportation markets include original-equipment and
aftermarket automotive, heavy-duty truck, agricultural,
and marine applications, and new technologies for hybrid
vehicles. Industrial markets include network power ap-
plications such as telecommunications systems, electric
utilities, rail transport, photovoltaic (solar-power related),
uninterruptible power supply (UPS), and motive-power
applications including forklift trucks, mining, and other
commercial vehicles.
1 History
Exides predecessor corporation was the Electric Stor-
age Battery Company, founded by W.W. Gibbs in
1888. Gibbs purchased the ideas and patents of inventor
Clement Payen to make the storage battery a commercial
product. Gibbs targeted electric lighting companies so
they could use the storage batteries to provide services to
their customers.[2]
Electric Storage Battery Company advertisement for Exide bat-
teries in the journal Horseless Age, 1918.
In 1900, the Electric Storage Battery Company developed
a product of greater capacity and less weight for electric
taxicabs. This battery was the rst to bear the name Ex-
ide, short for Excellent Oxide.[2]
In 1911, Charles F. Kettering turned to the Electric Stor-
age Battery Company for a suitable automotive battery
to complement his new electric starter.[3] This project
yielded the rst car battery of the modern type.[3] (Within
5 years, there was a substantial eld of aftermarket brands
in storage batteries and starters for automobiles, as evi-
denced by the advertisements in automotive trade jour-
nals of the era.)
When the United States entered World War I, Exide bat-
teries were used to operate airplane radio sets and power
radio stations.
In 1938, the Electric Storage Battery Company acquired
the Giant Storage Battery Company, and expanded into
battery chargers and testers.[2]
During World War II, the Electric Storage Battery Com-
pany was a major supplier of batteries for U.S. Navy
submarines and primary contractor for batteries used in
the Mark 18 electric torpedo. [4]

An important early customer for Electric Storage was the Exide entered the dry-cell battery industry in 1957 when
Electric Launch Company, also known as Elco. it acquired the Ray-O-Vac Company, the then second
largest producer of dry-cell batteries in the US.
In 1899, an Electric Storage battery provided the sub-
merged power for the USS Holland (SS-1), and Elec- Following the acquisition of the Wisconsin Battery Com-
tric Storage remained a signicant supplier of US Navy pany, Exide started producing motorcycle and specialty
submarine batteries at least through World War II. Isaac batteries.
Rice, president of Electric Storage in 1899, was in- In 1972 Exide acquired the Edison Storage Battery Com-
strumental in founding the Electric Boat Company as a pany, which had developed a practical nickel-iron battery
bailout of the Holland Torpedo Boat Company. in 1901. The production of this type of battery was sub-

1
2 3
Nickel-iron batteries manufactured between 1972 and 1975 un-
der the Exide brand, originally developed in 1901 by Thomas
Edison.
sequently discontinued in 1975.
In 1987 Exide acquired General Battery Corporation and
moved the company headquarters to Reading, Pennsylva-
nia.[2][5]
Exide became a publicly traded company in October
1993.[6]
In 1996 Exide acquired the French/Italian battery corpo-
ration CEAC, Clichy. With this acquisition also came the
rights to the German brands Sonnenschein and dryt. The
company Accumulatorenfabrik Sonnenschein had been
founded in Berlin in 1910 by Theodor Sonnenschein, and
had patented the gel-cell type of valve-regulated lead
acid battery in 1957. (Marketed worldwide under the
name dryt).
Arthur M. Hawkins resigned as chairman and chief exec-
utive ocer of Exide in October 1998.[7] Robert A. Lutz,
former president and vice chairman at Chrysler Corpo-
ration, was appointed Exides Chairman of the Board.
He reorganized the worldwide management structure into
Global Business Units and sold o non-battery units to al-
low the company to concentrate on its primary business.
In 2000 Exide acquired GNB Technologies, a North
American supplier of automotive batteries.[2]
In 2002 Exide led for bankruptcy after compiling a debt [9]
of $2.5 billion as a result of the recent acquisitions.[8] In
April 2004, a judge approved the companys plan to elim-
inate $1.3 billion in debt and exit bankruptcy protection
by the end of the month[9]
In April 2013, Exides plant in Vernon, California (Los
Angeles County) was shut down by California regulators
[11] http://www.scpr.org/news/2013/06/03/37535/
for arsenic and lead leakage and emissions.[1][10][11]
In June 2013 Exide again led for Chapter 11 bankruptcy
protection with the aim of cutting debt and implementing [12] Cornell automotive list of sponsors
a restructuring plan to better compete in the market (Ex- [13] Exide Technologies to Supply Batteries to REVA Electric
ide Technologies, Case No. 13-11482, U.S. Bankruptcy
Court, District of Delaware). In April 2015, the company
REFERENCES
emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, which
reduced its debt by approximately $600 million.
2 Sponsorships
Exide is a sponsor of the Cornell Automotive X-Prize
Team.[12]
Exide Technologies has signed an agreement to be the
sole lead-acid battery supplier for the REVA (Revolution-
ary Electric Vehicle Alternative) car-making project in
Bangalore, India.[13]
Exide was also formerly a sponsor of NASCAR driver
Je Burton, as well as an associate sponsor and occasional
primary sponsor of Turner Scott Motorsports.
3 References
[1] http://www.scpr.org/blogs/
environment/2013/06/03/13867/
exide-technologies-faq-everything-you-need-to-know/
[2] Information from webpages formerly accessible through
http://www.exide.com/history.html. See also http://
www.exide.com/en/about/our-history.aspx
[3] Waltz, George H. (September 1951), Bet I'm the tough-
est battery in town, Popular Science 159 (3): 110113.
[4] Blair, Clay, Jr. Silent Victory (New York: Bantam, 1976),
p.280.
[5] Spatz, Don (2001-03-24). Battery Maker to Pay $27.5
Million Fine. Reading Eagle. Retrieved 2013-12-28.
[6] Spatz, Don (1993-11-03). Exide Goes Public With
Stock Oering. Reading Eagle. Retrieved 2013-12-28.
[7] White, Gregory L.; Sendler, Emily R. (1998-10-19).
Exide Corp.'s Chairman, CEO Resigns; Earnings to Fall
Far Short of Estimates. The Wall Street Journal. Re-
trieved 2013-12-28.
[8] " Company News; Exide Technologies Files For
Bankruptcy Protection. The New York Times. 2002-04-
16.
COMPANY NEWS; EXIDE'S PLAN TO CUT $1.3
BILLION IN DEBT IS APPROVED. New York Times.
2004-04-17.
[10] Peterson, Molly; Zassenhaus, Eric; Keller, Chris. Exides
shutdown in Vernon. 89.3 KPCC. Southern California
Public Radio. Retrieved 2013-12-28.
vernon-battery-recycler-exide-seeks-a-second-chanc/
Vehicle Project; Company Signs Agreement as Sole Bat-
tery Supplier
 3

4 External links
Exide ocial site

Report on the Supply of Electrical Equipment for Me-

chanically Propelled land Vehicles, UK Board of
Trade, Monopolies Commission, 1963. Chapter 4
goes into some history concerning Exide, Chloride
and Dryex batteries.
4 5 TEXT AND IMAGE SOURCES, CONTRIBUTORS, AND LICENSES

5 Text and image sources, contributors, and licenses

5.1 Text
Exide Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exide?oldid=673728452 Contributors: Chuckhomann, Mac, Jay, Academic Challenger,
Alan Liefting, Shanes, Wdfarmer, Rjwilmsi, Vegaswikian, FlaBot, BjKa, RussBot, Polpo, Fourohfour, Colonies Chris, Trekphiler, Mok-
shjuneja, Monni95, DaleW, Amalas, Jesse Viviano, ShelfSkewed, Cydebot, Alaibot, Halo 31887, Nick Number, Wizmo, Z22, Waacstats,
M-le-mot-dit, Inwind, Black Kite, Altermike, Chloride, CarolynETaylor, Nadezda-Tatiania, Xnatedawgx, Three-quarter-ten, Tyler, DumZ-
iBoT, Alexius08, Addbot, Yobot, AnomieBOT, AmphBot, Onel5969, RjwilmsiBot, Look2See1, Crazyboy335, Wosch21149, ExideCom,
BG19bot, Frze, Total-MAdMaN, DokkenRocker100, Mogism, Junkyardsparkle, AlphaZelda, Jakec, Captain Conundrum, Citrusbowler,
RobDuch, Monkbot, Santoshsamal.444, ArturZ72 and Anonymous: 32

5.2 Images
File:Exide_advert_in_Horseless_Age_1918-01-15_v43_p82.png Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b9/
Exide_advert_in_Horseless_Age_1918-01-15_v43_p82.png License: Public domain Contributors: Electric Storage Battery Company
(1918-01-15), Exide battery advertisement, Horseless Age 43 (2): 82, http://books.google.com/books?id=JFbmAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA6#
v=onepage&f=false Original artist: Electric Storage Battery Company
File:Thomas_Edison{}s_nickeliron_batteries.jpg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bd/Thomas_
Edison%27s_nickel%E2%80%93iron_batteries.jpg License: CC BY-SA 3.0 Contributors: Own work Original artist: User:z22

5.3 Content license

Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0