Firefly, the 6 year old startup battery company that we previously reported on has additional information regarding their second generation advanced lead acid battery.  You can read the original story here  Firefly Develops Breakthrough Lead Acid Battery

After making the first generation battery with lead impregnated foam, they knew there was room for improvement.  The 2nd generation model uses the lead impregnated foam for both the positive and negative grids within the battery.  The original design only replaces the negative grids in a traditional lead acid battery with the advanced foam.

The 2nd generation model offers significant improvements over the first design.  Most importantly, weight is reduced significantly.  For comparison purposes, if you removed the Li-ion pack used in the Chevy Volt and replaced it with the 2nd generation lead acid battery from Firefly, the weight of the pack would only increase by 10%.

Another benefit of the new version is longevity.  The new version would likely last 12 years in most applications where as the first gen. would only last 4 to 5 years and its cycle life is nearly 7 times better than a traditional lead acid battery.

Firefly is seeking funds from the federal government to build a plant that could be in Illinois. 

They foresee their battery as being an option in upcoming hybrid and electric vehicles.  Much as the customer now chooses between a 4 cylinder or a V6, Firefly's battery could be the base option with a more expensive lithium-ion upgrade available. 

They believe that their battery could significantly reduce the base price of many vehicles due to the affordability of their lead impregnated foam design.

Source:  Wards Auto