In July 1997, the European members of the Advanced Lead–Acid Battery Consortium were awarded a second Brite-EuRam contract for research on lead–acid batteries for electric vehicles (EVs). This Project, entitled ‘Strategies for the further improvement of performance and life of lead–acid batteries for electric vehicle applications’, commenced at the beginning of January 1998, is costing some US$4 million, and is scheduled to run for 3 years. The Project is divided into three principal tasks. The first is concentrating on separator design and compression in order to improve cycle-life. In the second task, attempts are being made to improve the specific energy of tubular-plate designs, which traditionally have good life characteristics in traction applications. In addition, work is being carried out to determine the effects of rapid-charging techniques on this type of battery design. The third task is attempting to improve the performance of negative plates by seeking improved expanders. The Project has now reached its mid-point. This paper describes the work in progress and discusses some of the results achieved to date and their implication for the future of the research programme.