Nickel-Iron Batteries (Edison Cell)

A Modern Nickel-Iron Battery
Thomas Edison with his Nickel Iron Battery in 1910
Nickel Iron Battery Still Functioning after almost 100 years
Renewable Energy Storage

Green Chemistry Stationary
Battery
The Edison Nickel Iron Cell
Outlasts Lead Acid by Decades!
Lasting Energy Storage for
Solar, Wind & Micro-Hydro
Invented over 100 years ago by Thomas
Edison
as a non-polluting and non-consumable
alternative
to Lead Acid Batteries using no heavy
metals!
-Now manufactured once again worldwide after lead
acid battery
companies closed Edison's Plant in 1972 in East
Orange, NJ USA.
Building a solar, wind or other renewable energy system for a home or
business can be discouraging if lead acid batteries need to be used. Lead
acid batteries are "consumables" and last only a fraction of lifespan of
your solar panels or other electricity sources. Massive battery banks of
lead acid batteries need to be replaced every 10 years or less. However a

better solution has been available since about 1911 using the almost
forgotten storage battery that contains no toxic heavy metals and may
outlast you or your house!
The purpose of this site is to collect information that will help people to use
and maintain the Nickel Iron Battery technology for use in Solar homes and
for Marine applications. The Nickel Iron battery often lasts in excess of 40
years and makes a perfect match for solar panels which also last for about 40
years or more. This site is focused on the re-popularization of nickel iron
batteries in renewable energy applications. Nickel Iron Batteries contain no
environmentally damaging heavy or poisonous elements. The electrolyte of
Potassium Hydroxide is caustic but can be useful in farming when diluted to
neutralize acidic soils.
This site is not specific to a manufacturer or supplier. Nickel Iron battery
manufacturers or suppliers are welcome to list links to their websites. This
site supplies useful and accurate information on the Edison Nickel Iron
Battery technology and its uses in alternate energy applications.
Nickel-iron Battery Specifications
Energy/weight
30-50Wh/kg
Energy/size
30 Wh/l
Power/weight
100W/kg
Charge/discharge efficiency 65% - 85%

Energy/consumer-price
1.5 6.6Wh/US$
Self-discharge rate
10-15% /month
Time durability
30 100 years
Repeated deep discharge does not reduce life
Cycle durability
significantly.
Nominal cell voltage
1.2 V
Charge temperature
min.-40C
interval
max.46 C
The nickel-iron battery (NiFe battery) is a storage battery having

a nickel(III) oxide-hydroxide cathode and an iron anode, with
an electrolyte of potassium hydroxide. The active materials are held in
nickel-plated steel tubes or perforated pockets. It is a very robust battery
which is tolerant of abuse, (overcharge, overdischarge, and short-circuiting)
and can have very long life even if so treated. [6] It is often used in backup
situations where it can be continuously charged and can last for more than
40 years. Due to its high cost of manufacture, other types of rechargeable

batteries have displaced the nickel-iron battery in most applications.
Because of their long life NiFe batteries are ideal for backing up renewable
energy applications. The reason for their disappearance in the North
American market is largely due to the Exide Corporation's decision to
abandon the technology in 1975 after purchasing it from the Edison Storage
Battery company for several million dollars. The reason for acquiring the
manufacturing process to make NiFe batteries and then simply abandoning
the technology is unknown. Exide remains the second largest manufacturer
of lead acid batteries in the world.
Charging Parameters
The proper float voltage is 1.45 volts per cell.
proper charge voltage would be 14.5 volts.
If 10 cells were used, the
The charge voltage can vary from 1.46 to 1.55 volts per cell. Unlike
other battery designs, the exact charge voltage is unimportant. A
higher voltage will result in quicker charges but more water loss that
will necessitate more frequent topping up with distilled water. Since
the cells can withstand overcharge there is debate over what constitutes
a proper charge voltage. The higher you go the quicker water will
disappear from the batteries. At voltages greater than 1.5 volts/cell the
batteries will store approximately 15% more power than they are rated for.
If 10 cells were used, the charge voltage could range from 14.6 volts to 15.5
volts. It is probably better to use the 1.46 volts / cell level of charge in
order to minimize water loss if the battery will be unattended for months at a
time. Regenerative catalytic caps are available to combine the h2 and o2
back into water if unattended maintenance is required. There are also auto
watering systems that are available.
The proper equalization voltage is 1.65 volts per cell. If 10 cells were
used, the proper equalization voltage would be 16.5 volts. This equalization
charge is applied for 8 hours using at least C/10 current. According to
Edison's original manual from 1914, it is best to completely discharge the
batteries from time to time before applying the equalization charge. Edison
also recommends a 1.7 volt equalization charge and he recommends
changing the electrolyte every 5-10 years.
This will all come as a surprise for lead acid battery users. In contrast to
lead acid, the NiFe battery can be overcharged for decades at a time without
damage and can be left discharged for years at a time and will still work
perfectly when needed.
Durability
The ability of these batteries to survive frequent cycling is due to
the low solubility of the reactants in the electrolyte. The formation
of metallic iron during charge is slow because of the low solubility
of the Fe3O4. While the slow formation of iron crystals preserves the
electrodes, it also limits the high rate performance: these cells
charge slowly, and are only able to discharge slowly. [6] Nickel-iron
cells should not be charged from a constant voltage supply since
they can be damaged by thermal runaway; the cell internal voltage
drops as gassing begins, raising temperature, which increases
current drawn and so further increases gassing and temperature.
Nickel-iron batteries have long been used in European mining
operations because of their ability to withstand vibrations, high
temperatures and other physical stress. They are being examined
again for use in wind and solar power systems and for modern
electric vehicle applications.
Electrochemistry
The half-cell reaction at the cathode:
2 NiOOH + 2 H2O + 2 e 2 Ni(OH)2 + 2 OH
and at the anode:
Fe + 2 OH Fe(OH)2 + 2 e
(Discharging is read left to right, charging is from right to left.) [7]
The open-circuit voltage is 1.4 volts, dropping to 1.2 volts during
discharge. [6] The electrolyte mixture of potassium hydroxide and
lithium hydroxide is not consumed in charging or discharging, so
unlike a lead-acid battery the electrolyte specific gravity does not
indicate state of charge. [6] Lithium hydroxide improves the
performance of the cell. the voltage required to charge the cells is
between 1.6 and 1.7 volts. Most people use 1.65 volts.
History
Swedish inventor Waldemar Jungner had invented the nickelcadmium battery in 1899. Jungner experimented with substituting
iron for the cadmium in varying proportions, including 100% iron.
Jungner had already discovered that the main advantage over the
nickel-cadmium chemistry was cost, but due to the poorer
efficiency of the charging reaction, Jungner never patented the iron
version of his battery.
The nickel iron battery was developed by Thomas Edison in 1901,
and used as the energy source for electric vehicles, such as
the Detroit Electric and Baker Electric. Edison claimed the nickeliron design to be, "far superior to batteries using lead plates and
acid" (lead-acid battery). Both Edison and Ford worked together on
electric cars prior to the World War One.
Jungner's work was largely unknown in the US until the 1940s,
when nickel-cadmium batteries went into production there. A 50
volt nickel-iron battery was the main power supply in the World
War II German V2 rocket (together with two 16 volt accumulators
which powered the four gyroscopes), with a smaller version used in
the V1 flying bomb. (viz. 1946 Operation Backfire blueprints.)
1912 Detroit Electric Car with NiFe Battery

Several early car manufacturers offered nickel iron batteries at the turn of
the 20th century. NiFe batteries were a more expensive option and most of
these cars owned by collectors such as Jay Leno still contain functioning
NiFe storage batteries constructed prior to World War One. The Royal BC
Museum in Canada contains a working car as does the BC Hydro museum.
Manufacturing from 1903

Edison's batteries were made from about 1903 to 1972 by the
Edison Battery Storage Company located in East Orange, NJ. They
were quite profitable for the company. In 1972 the battery company
was sold to the Exide Battery Corporation, which discontinued
making the battery in 1975. The Eagle-Picher Company of the UK
advertised in 1970 a nickel iron car battery that would "last as long
as all the cars you own in a lifetime". They purchased the cells for
their battery from Edison's company. They also proposed their

application in all electric vehicles in the early 1990s. Perhaps this
was the stimulus to bury the Edison Storage Battery Company. No
one really knows why the Exide Battery Company killed the
technology in North America by 1975.
It is interesting to note that all railways from 1910 to 1965 or so
used nickel iron batteries in the caboose to run all the lights on the
train. Yet technical literature on batteries such as Audel's New
Electric Library only mention lead acid batteries starting in 1945. It
is even erased in Audel's guide from the section on the history of
batteries. So it would appear that nickel iron battery knowledge
was no longer being published in technical guildebooks by the end
of the second world war. Yet V2 rockets during the second world
war were nickel iron battery powered. The reason for this
disappearance from the technical literature is a mystery.
Edison was disappointed that his battery was not adopted for
starting internal combustion engines and that electric vehicles went
out of production only a few years after his battery was introduced.
He actually developed the battery to be the battery of choice for
electric vehicles which were the preferred transportation mode in
the early 1900s (followed by gasoline and steam). Edison's batteries
had a significantly higher energy density than the lead acid batteries
in use at the time, and could be charged in half the time, however
they performed poorly at low ambient temperatures. The battery
enjoyed wide use for railroad signalling, fork lift, and standby
power applications. By simply changing the electrolyte to a higher
concentration of KOH the modern manufacturers have achieved
low temperature operation. In situations where a lead acid
uncharged battery might suffer freezing damage, a nickel iron
battery will not be damaged at all.
There are now USA, Chinese and Russian manufacturers of NiFe
batteries. Nickel-iron cells are currently made with capacities from
5 Ah to 1000 Ah. Many of the original manufacturers no longer
make nickel iron cells but new manufacturers started appearing in
the last 20 years.
Environmental impact
Nickel-iron batteries do not have the lead or cadmium of the leadacid and nickel-cadmium batteries, which makes them a lesser
burden on human and ecological health. There are in use for solar
homes today mainly in Australia.

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A Modern Nickel-Iron Battery

Thomas Edison with his Nickel Iron Battery in 1910

Nickel Iron Battery Still Functioning after almost 100 years

Renewable Energy Storage

lead acid batteries need to be replaced every 10 years or less. However a

Charge/discharge efficiency 65% - 85%

The nickel-iron battery (NiFe battery) is a storage battery having

40 years. Due to its high cost of manufacture, other types of rechargeable

If 10 cells were used, the

1912 Detroit Electric Car with NiFe Battery

Manufacturing from 1903

their battery from Edison's company. They also proposed their

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