With more and more long-distance commercial vehicle drivers operating on double or triple driver shift patterns, conventional batteries are struggling to cope with the demands of continuous use. John Bentley, Technical Sales Manager at Ecobat Battery Technologies, discusses the new technology helping to ease the strain.
Although engine starting currents haven’t significantly changed over the years, the recent surge in electrical demands, combined with the need to support onboard facilities such as auxiliary heating systems, air conditioning, mobile phone chargers, and GPS devices, means that conventional vehicle batteries are failing.
The move towards drivers sleeping in their cabs, now commonplace while trucks are parked up overnight, is also having a huge impact as vehicles double up as hotel rooms with the battery becoming the sole source of power for cooking, heating, lighting, and charging tablets or laptops.
As a result, hauliers are experiencing a sharp rise in vehicle breakdowns with many operators and logistics companies picking up the cost of call outs and frequent battery replacements, along with the inconvenience of unnecessary down time.
Here to help
To address the challenges of supporting the electrical demands of a modern-day fleet, more original equipment (OE) manufacturers, logistics companies and operators are switching to Odyssey, produced by EnerSys, for their battery requirements.
Developed using next generation absorbed glass mat (AGM) technology, Odyssey batteries are capable of powering the heavy usage required for hotel loading as well as double/triple driver shift patterns, without compromising on the massive cranking power needed to start the engine, time and time again.
Engineered with specialist thin plate pure lead (TPPL) technology, which was first used in aerospace and the military, Odyssey has been powering professional vehicles and competition cars for 25 years.
Speaking of the advantages of switching to Odyssey, Director of Transportation for EMEA & APAC at EnerSys, Peter Hart, explains: “Reliability is key for haulage operators as the risk of battery failure can have a devastating impact.
“As well as the immediate disruption to delivery schedules and the inconvenience of goods arriving late, there is also the cost of breakdown recovery and potential damage to brand reputation to take into consideration, that’s in addition to lost productivity and revenue. We understand the challenges of powering the everincreasing electrical requirements of modern day commercial vehicles, so Odyssey AGM TPPL technology is a real game-changer for haulage operators who can’t afford to leave battery performance to chance.”
John Bentley, Technical Sales Manager at Ecobat Battery Technologies, welcomes the innovative AGM TPPL technology, which sets Odyssey apart. He comments: “The haulage industry is seeing a huge rise in battery failure with many conventional batteries failing in just six to eight months as they simply can’t cope with the increased power outputs required by today’s commercial vehicles.
“By comparison, Odyssey batteries are lasting an average of four years, so it really is a no brainer for haulage operators to invest in powering their fleet with this next generation battery technology.”
He continues: “Although engine starting currents haven’t changed over the years, it’s clear there’s a growing need for a new type of high performance alternative like Odyssey, which is optimised to meet the increasing electrical demands of the modern fleet.
“Odyssey batteries are incredibly reliable and a smart investment for haulage companies that need to keep their vehicles moving efficiently, as well as for the logistics companies that are servicing hauliers and having to stand the unnecessary costs of call outs and battery replacement.”
The sensible choice
The innovative technology used in Odyssey batteries effectively provides the capability of two batteries in one, delivering the cranking power needed to start the engine, whilst also giving superb deep cycle capacity to support hotel loading and onboard facilities.
Conventional batteries are not optimised to handle the heavy electrical loads demanded by the rise in triple shifts and drivers using cabs as hotel rooms, which should be helping to improve business efficiency, but are actually leading to battery failure and higher numbers of breakdowns.
Providing twice the power and three times the life of conventional batteries, Odyssey batteries can provide a service life of up to 10 years, which make them the perfect power storage solution for the modern day fleet. In addition, as they are unaffected by extreme temperatures, they can be stored at room temperature for more than two years, without the need for charging or maintenance.
