Exide Technologies was established in 1888 as the Electric Storage Battery Company by W.W. Gibbs. Gibbs purchased the ideas and patents of Clement Payen to make storage batteries a commercial product. The name Exide was initially a brand name used to sell these batteries with the first battery to bear this name released in 1900. Exide is short for Excellent Oxide.

Over the years, the company explored many types of batteries including automotive batteries, dry-cell batteries from 1957, and electrolyte and gel technology from 1992.

In 2000, the company became Exide Technologies after the acquisition of GNB Technologies, the global battery business of Australian-based Pacific Dunlop Limited.