Calcium zincate was prepared by a chemical coprecipitation method and characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The electrochemical performance of pasted zinc electrodes with bismuth and calcium additives was investigated by the charge-discharge method. The addition of metallic bismuth powder improves the discharge performance of zinc electrodes due to the formation of an electronic conduction matrix. The calcium-containing zinc electrodes showed higher discharge capacity, less shape change and longer cycle lifetime. Moreover, zinc electrodes using calcium zincate as active material show better electrochemical performance than those with the physical mixture of zinc oxide and calcium hydroxide.