What are the benefits of AGM batteries?
Ecobat believes a better battery replacement strategy won’t leave your customer stranded. Here it offers a few reasons why.
Despite the fact that few operators can remain unaware that electrical issues, and specifically battery related problems, are still the number one cause of commercial vehicle breakdown, there continues to be a surprising level of apathy in relation to battery replacement.
With the almost unending increase in electrical demands that the modern truck has to power, which include driver comfort equipment such as microwaves, refrigerators, televisions and charging points, as well as night safety functions, several manufacturers are now fitting absorbent glass mat (AGM) batteries as the original equipment (OE) fitment for many of their vehicles.
AGM technology is known to reduce the loss of capacity due to acid stratification, which is the main cause of battery failure and allows up to 80% of the battery’s specified capacity to be employed without significantly compromising its cyclic life (the number of times it can be charged/discharged/charged). This is particularly helpful when having to power the comfort and safety equipment mentioned previously, while also having sufficient remaining power to reliably start the engine.
In addition, in order to deliver the fuel efficiency that these modern vehicles are designed to yield, they incorporate complex systems such as automatic coasting transmissions that select neutral when the vehicle doesn’t require drive, and even satellite navigation systems comprehensive enough to optimise driving efficiencies and gear selection while in cruise control, which also require the vehicle’s batteries to be in peak condition to operate correctly.
Upgrades all round
Although CV workshops and fleet operators will wisely replace these OE AGM batteries with like for like batteries when they reach the end of their service life, Ecobat is urging decision makers to fit this upgraded technology, which also includes EFB (enhanced flooded battery) and Gel, on their existing fleets, when their traditional SLI (starter/lights/ignition) batteries need replacement.
This proactive approach reduces the danger of relying on outdated technology that is now unable to cope with the power demands made upon it, which not only hugely increases the probability of roadside breakdown and the responsibility to send expensive service engineers out to retrieve stranded vehicles, but also risks the reputation of the business, as it could be unable to fulfil its delivery obligations, potentially exposing it to subsequent surcharges or unachieved KPI targets.
As well as the optimised levels of reliability they provide, the total cost of ownership (TCO) of these modern technology batteries is significantly lower than that of a traditional SLI battery, because they supply at least twice the cyclic life, while also delivering more useable power, which means opting for SLI technology is simply a false economy on any measure.
Helpfully, there are resources such as the VARTA Partner portal, for example, one can turn to to make the process of identifying the most suitable battery for the needs of vehicle and how it is used, a simple and straightforward one.
Options
Suitable batteries on the market that more than sufficiently fulfil the demands required by modern fleets include the ODYSSEY AGM, VARTA ProMotive AGM and Exide Endurance+PRO GEL.
For the most energy demanding continental requirements, the ODYSSEY AGM reduces the risk of a call out to what might only be a flat battery by 60% and safeguards the ability for starting, compared to a conventional SLI battery. These batteries also overcome the electrolyte and vibration issues of SLI batteries by incorporating AGM separators, meaning the acid is fully absorbed, so it cannot sink, and as the plates all sit on a rubber base and are top welded together with hot rubber melt, they have vibration resistance built in. Allied with an inherent fast-charging capability even from 80% of discharge, with this option, battery related breakdowns become a very rare occurrence and as they deliver twice the power and three times the life of SLI batteries, they are typically lasting for four years plus, which significantly reduces the TCO.
For similarly high demand situations, the efficient technology incorporated into the VARTA ProMotive AGM provides the solution for trucks with a heavy reliance on numerous power consuming functions, including parking cooler/heaters, without wearing out and causing downtime. It has been developed in collaboration with the leading vehicle manufacturers to support innovations that will be standard equipment in the future.
Gel batteries differ from other battery types because instead of being in liquid form, the electrolyte is fixed in a gel, which leads to unmatchable cyclic life. Furthermore, as Exide Technologies is the inventor of gel technology, its Endurance+PRO GEL battery is not only highly robust but offers the best in class deep cycle properties that allow an unmatched safe depth of discharge of 90%.
