0The formation processes of the single-side pasted automotive positive plate have been studied by an in situ electrochemical scan technique. On the pasted side of the positive plate, its polarization is very high and its charge current is very low at the beginning of the formation, compared with those on the non-pasted side. Then, their difference becomes smaller and smaller with the formation. Moreover, the distributions of the current density and the polarization resistance are quite uneven on the pasted side at the initial stage of the formation. The lowest current density and the highest polarization resistance are located in the middle. At the later stage, the charge current on the pasted side becomes a little higher, but its charge amount is still lower than that on the non-pasted side. Although the conductivity of PbO2 zones is very good, the violent charge at the high polarization will lead to the increase of the contact resistance between the active mass particles at the beginning of the formation. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.