Sales of lead-acid batteries in North America rose 15.2% in December 2013 following the extended period of cold weather.
Shipments of automotive batteries in December 2013 reached 12.2m, which is 15.2% higher than the figure for November.
The demand for replacement lead-acid SLI batteries is always higher in the winter, but the particularly savage cold this winter across the US is peaking demand.
This will in turn raise the premium price of lead, which analysts at the American Metals Market believe has already begun however the London Metal Exchange price was only raised $0.96 per pound in February from the previous month.
