Exide
Exide Technologies is a multinational corporation that designs, manufactures, recycles, and distributes lead-acid batteries and related energy storage solutions for automotive, industrial, motive power, and renewable energy applications.[1][2]
Founded in 1888 as the Electric Storage Battery Company by W.W. Gibbs, who acquired patents to commercialize rechargeable lead-acid batteries, the firm pioneered storage technology that enabled early electric vehicles, submarines, and industrial uses.[3][4]
By the early 20th century, the Exide brand emerged, and the company expanded globally, supplying batteries for military applications during World War II, such as wakeless torpedoes, and NASA's Apollo lunar module.[3][5]
In 2020, its Europe, Middle East, Africa, and Asia-Pacific operations separated to form a standalone entity under Exide Group, while the Americas division filed for bankruptcy amid liabilities exceeding $500 million, primarily from environmental remediation costs.[3][6]
The company has achieved prominence as one of the world's largest battery recyclers, recovering over 99% of lead from used batteries, but has been embroiled in major controversies involving lead and arsenic emissions from recycling facilities, leading to widespread soil and air contamination in surrounding communities.[1][7][8]
Notable cases include the 2015 closure of its Vernon, California plant after federal admissions of hazardous waste violations and a $50 million settlement for cleanup, as well as Superfund designations at sites like Laureldale, Pennsylvania, where elevated lead levels necessitated residential soil testing and remediation affecting thousands of properties.[7][9][10]