Title: From little to much, from simple to complex: the case of lead-acid batteries in electrical vehicles

Authors: Arturo Lara

Addresses: Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana Unidad Xochimilco, Calzada del Hueso 1100, Col. Villa Quietud, Delegación Coyoacán, C.P. 04960, Ciudad de México, Mexico

Abstract: Based on the theory of complex systems developed by Brian Arthur (2007, 2009, and 2015), and with information obtained from patent database (USPTO), the following will be answered: how to quantitatively represent the evolution from little to much and from simple to complex of lead-acid batteries in electric vehicles? How has it evolved and what is the deep nature of lead-acid battery technology in electric vehicles? Conceptualising technology as a multi-level process, allows to analyse the transformations that energy undergoes. The evolution of this technology is the product of the exploitation of phenomena, the emergence of a hierarchical system and the construction of interfaces that connect technological domains. With quantitative indicators, this greater complexity is expressed in the growing number of average classes per patent, as well as in the expansion of the electrical/electronic technological field: 74% of the inventive activity during the period.

Keywords: technology; complexity; electric vehicle; lead-acid battery; patents; interfaces; evolution; technological domains.

DOI: 10.1504/IJATM.2025.152357

International Journal of Automotive Technology and Management, 2025 Vol.25 No.4, pp.321 - 342

Received: 27 May 2025
Accepted: 02 Jul 2025
Published online: 16 Mar 2026 *

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