SAFT (Société des Accumulateurs Fixes et de Traction) has watched over the past century as batteries developed from nickel to lithium and suddenly became cool. The company designs and manufactures industrial and specialty batteries for high-tech use. SAFT batteries are used in passenger rail cars, aircraft, military vessels, hybrid vehicles, power grids, telecom networks, and renewable energy applications. Its specialty battery segment makes lithium and rechargeable lithium-ion batteries for the electronics, defense, and space industries. In mid-2016 French oil giant TOTAL SA acquired SAFT.