Commercial vehicle batteries need to have the ability to cope with differing scenarios for the various sectors that they are supplied into. Platinum International discusses the issues surrounding different battery applications and ensuring the correct battery is chosen for the job.
From transport to emergency vehicles, a wide variety of vehicles can go through a workshop. Making
sure batteries are fitted properly and correctly could save downtime for fleets and reduce labour time on repairs.
Transport
Transportation requires batteries with high CCA ratings in order to cope with the coldest of winter operations. More recent vehicles have the additional requirement of more cyclic batteries to cope with discharge and recharge as a result of tail lifts for local multi drop operations and the numerous in cab accessories that are now fitted.
PSV applications require deep cycle capability as a result of the many consumer friendly electrical accessories that are now present within these vehicles. These accessories are quite often being used whilst the vehicle is stationary with the engine not running, this means any power required is being taken from the battery, which does not have an unlimited supply.
More importantly, a standard lead acid battery is only designed to supply a short high burst of energy to start the application. It is not designed to be constantly discharged and recharged.
A simple starter battery cannot cope with these types of demands, no matter how high the Ah or CCA is. A ‘dual purpose’ battery is required, similar to the new technologies as fitted onto Start-Stop car applications. EFB (Enhanced Flooded Battery) products are now available in the 3 popular CV sizes: 627, 629 and 632. These can deliver high CCA, high Ah Capacity and have the capability to be discharged and recharged many times. Some also have an inbuilt electrolyte mixing system to prevent stratification within the cells, which would shorten the service life of flooded lead acid batteries. Downtime is a costly issue, fitting a lower performance battery will result in needless expense and labour time on many applications.
Emergency and agricultural
Emergency Service vehicles must have deep cycle as well as starting batteries, otherwise lives would be put at risk if products cannot cope with the deep discharges that are present within everyday emergency call out usage. It is possible to fit dual purpose batteries to these applications, but due to the high demand, only the best technology of products would suffice.
The Odyssey TPPL (Thin Plate Pure Lead) AGM product is ideal for these applications. However, it is worth bearing in mind that AGM batteries are not always available in the popular CV product sizes, so modification of the fitment tray is required.
The requirement for batteries as fitted to agricultural applications is also very specific. Due to their seasonal use, long hours and low speed, a high CCA, high Ah product is required. Many applications now have complex satellite navigation, tracking and manoeuvring equipment fitted as well as auxiliary power units that place extra demands on the battery. It is also very important that the battery is high vibration resistant to cope with harsh and uneven terrain quite often experienced in this type of application.
