The emerging change in the automobile industry with the advent of the 42 V electrical operating system will impose a revolutionary change not only on the car industry, but also on the battery industry overall. The implications of this change will be felt by the battery producers, most of whom will require new or advanced production techniques for 36 V batteries, and subsequently by their suppliers of raw material. The demand for batteries of higher quality-in particular, the valve-regulated lead-acid (VRLA) battery, which is the battery of choice for the new automotive system-will place much higher demands upon the quality of the raw materials used in battery manufacture. It has been well documented that high-quality raw materials, such as lead, acid and separators, are a requirement in order to guarantee battery performance. The presence of impurities (antimony, arsenic, tellurium, etc.) in the enclosed system of the VRLA battery will impart problems such as dry-out, self-discharge and negative-plate capacity loss which will result in premature failure of the battery. One major problem for both primary and secondary lead producers is the presence of these impurities in their metal streams. Of particular interest to the smelters are the levels of antimony and silver. The latter element is increasing to alarming levels. With changing battery technology, both elements will pose serious problems to the lead producers in maintaining high-quality lead under the present cost structure. Some of the challenges that face the lead industry in meeting the demands of VRLA battery producers for product of higher quality are examined in this paper.