Knowing Your Electrical Needs Can Help You Pick the Right Battery
Each year, heavy-duty commercial trucking fleets lose time and money because of dead batteries. Fleets place very high demands on the tractors’ batteries, so understanding which battery best addresses those demands is paramount.
There are five factors that help determine if a flooded cell or absorbent glass mat (AGM) battery is best for your fleet.
- The number of daily engine starts
- The tractor’s hotel loads
- The location of the batteries
- The battery’s ambient temperature
- The truck’s route application (intracity vs. interstate)
Both flooded cell and AGM batteries work in the heavy-duty commercial trucking industry. AGM batteries, however, offer the following benefits to fleets:
- Improved battery shelf-life
- Plate vibration equal or better than flooded anchor plate technology
- Completely sealed case
- Recombination technology with no need to add water
- Improved charging cycle time
- Not considered hazardous freight
- More power when compared to flooded cell at matching state of charge
- Deeper depth of discharge and more discharge cycles
Some AGM batteries are 2-in-1 batteries, which not only start the vehicle, but have a deep cycle well suited for heavy hotel loads and multiple starts.
The AGM battery, like all batteries, generate internal heat during charging. Fleets must consider the ambient temperature at the battery box for both flooded and AGM batteries. Flooded and AGM batteries cannot be mixed on tractors, because the charging voltage differs between these battery types.
Batteries are available in various reserve capacity (RC) and cold crank amps (CCA). Only an in-depth review of your trucking fleet’s electrical requirements can determine the appropriate RC and CCA for your application.
Do you have questions about charging AGM Batteries? Do you have specific questions about which battery option is right for your needs? We welcome your comments below.
Learn More About AGM Batteries
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