The director of Rotronics, Ken Clark, contributed to the creation of an A-Z of batteries that is packed with useful information and fascinating facts for readers. We hope you make full use of the advice from the experts below.

The A-Z of Batteries

A is for AGM and stands for absorbent glass matt technology.  It is a lead acid battery and commonly gets mistaken for a standard flooded battery because it looks the same. It is a black box.  But its makeup and performance characteristics are completely different.

AGM technology is hardy; for use in a harsher environment, with lots of consumer loads, tail lifts, start/stop journeys for example. Test it as AGM technology, nothing else, because there are expensive consequences for getting that wrong.   The vehicle ultimately will not start. The AGM is spill proof, leak proof and does not need to be topped up with electrolyte.  There are no major issues from gassing, and this means that the battery is a safe option in in-cab situations.

Takeaway Tip: Understand the application that you are using the battery for; the AGM has greater depth of discharge than a standard flooded battery.  But they need the same care and attention as any other battery to prolong their life.

B is for Balanced Batteries and battery balancing is a critical factor in keeping commercial vehicles on the road and avoiding road-side non-starts. The only way to keep batteries in balance is regular testing and charging.

An imbalanced battery has a reduced lifespan of up to 50%, leading to premature and avoidable replacement costs. It is a bit like an irregular heartbeat.

Takeaway Tip: Within six-months, a battery set can be out of balance and without frequent maintenance, can lead to road-side non-starts or battery failure.  Battery imbalance and poor maintenance can contribute up to 20% of a workshop’s annual battery-related costs.

C is for Charging.  Workshops with chargers in every inspection pit, see the best battery performance by far.  They charge their vehicles at every opportunity and the batteries are tested at least every four to six weeks.  The improvements in these workshops are impressive and they manage to cut non-starts by up to 75%. 

Takeaway Tip: Pro-active charging during the routine service inspection, does not impact on service downtime, and will ultimately save considerable time and money in the long run. Have a look at https://www.rotronicsbms.com/products/battery-charger.html

D is for Discharging. Batteries typically discharge, or lose, 0.1v per month in ambient temperatures and as much as 0.2v in winter.  Add in parasitic drains, and this can mean considerable discharge over a month.  Why does this matter?  Without regular testing and charging, the net result is that the battery will start to sulphate, causing irreversible damage to the internal plates.  This can get costly.

This does not just affect your automotive or commercial vehicle batteries, equal attention should be paid to booster and power packs, so that they remain ready for action when required.  Do not let your booster pack run flat because it will degrade.

Takeaway Tip: To combat discharging, keep batteries charged; regular testing and charging is essential.  This includes batteries in vehicles, on the shelf and in booster packs. Boosters come with a charger; just plug it in. Find out more about battery management programmes at www.rotronicsbms.com

E is for Electrolyte. The power juice for the battery.  When dissolved in a polar solvent (ie distilled water), electrolyte produces an electrically conducting solution. When removing the filler cap on the battery, you should expect to see electrolyte covering the plates.  Ensure the plates are covered before charging. Do not be tempted at this stage to fill the cells to their maximum levels, as this often leads to an excess of electrolyte as the cells expand through charging, causing excess acid being expelled from the battery. If a battery is flat, the electrolyte may naturally be at a lower level.

Takeaway Tip: Before charging, make sure that the electrolyte is above the plate level inside the battery, a couple of millimetres will do. Then check the electrolyte levels thereafter.  Do not overfill because you then run the risk of acid spillage and overflow.

F is for Flat Batteries. No one wants a flat battery, because this leads to premature battery failure and roadside non-starts; meaning unhappy customers, disrupted transport schedules and late deliveries. That all means bigger bills. To avoid this, opt for a comprehensive battery management programme of regular testing and charging.

Have a look at testers and chargers on the market. The EXP1000FHD tester https://www.rotronicsbms.com/exp1000-fhd-fleet-heavy-duty-battery-tester.html is designed for workshops and the PRO52 charger https://www.rotronicsbms.com/midtronics-cxpro-50-2-charger.html has a unique twin output, providing fast, controlled and balanced charging for 24v battery sets, or two separate 12v vehicles simultaneously. The CTEK 12 volt range https://www.rotronicsbms.com/products/battery-charger/12-volt-battery-charger.html contains intelligent smart chargers, which are easy and safe to use.

Takeaway Tip: To help you make the right decisions about workshop equipment needed in any battery management programme, have a look at https://www.rotronicsbms.com/advice/battery-tips for guidance.

G is for Good Practice. What does battery management good practice look like in a commercial vehicle workshop?  Ken Clark says: “Good practice means a considerably smaller battery bill in the annual budget once a battery management programme is implemented. Good practice looks like chargers in every pit, technicians testing all batteries every couple of weeks, getting the batteries on charge at every chance they have and using ROBIS, our reporting system to collect battery and electrical data via a web-based dashboard from national/regional workshops, updating fleet software at the same time.

“We know our customers, some with over 1,000 vehicles in the fleet, have seen over 25% drop in battery expenditure.  Relate that to your own workshop and it adds up to a huge cost. They also report an improvement of up to 75% in their roadside non-starts.”

There figures are impressive and mean a smooth-running fleet and significantly reduced costs.  Good practice is about gaining expertise and knowledge to make the most of fault diagnosis; increasing productivity and improving customer service; testing pro-actively during a service or routine inspection; identifying imbalanced batteries and charging them; maintaining them to optimum levels; identifying defective batteries and replacing them before the vehicle becomes vulnerable. For chargers go to https://www.rotronicsbms.com/products/battery-charger.html and for testers go to https://www.rotronicsbms.com/products/battery-testers.html.

Takeaway Tip: ROBIS improves the battery performance across your fleet and your warranty processes will be faster and simplified. Go to https://www.rotronicsbms.com/robis

H is for Hazards. Battery acid is corrosive. As the battery is charging and discharging, flammable gasses will emit from the battery. Load testers should be banished from the workshop; use non-invasive new testers instead. Take care when connecting and disconnecting as sparks can fly, and not in a good way.

The sulphuric acid in a battery is severely corrosive and can cause serious burns and injury if it comes into contact with the skin or eyes.

If you are changing a damaged “flooded” battery, care should be taken to ensure the electrolyte spill is kept to a minimum.  Batteries, in their true form and in good condition, are sealed and will not be a hazard.

To reduce the risk, give them some respect when you handle them, certainly do not drop a battery.  Explosions are not frequent, but they occur too often in workshops, generally due to poor handling or maintenance. 

An electric shock of 12v is not a life-threatening issue but use real caution when using metal tools near batteries to prevent short circuits and sparks. 

Batteries are heavy; be really careful when handling and watch your back!

Takeaway Tip: DO NOT use or rest metal tools on top of a battery. Keep an eyewash and first aid station close at hand, in case any accidents should happen. Have a look at more tips by clicking https://www.rotronicsbms.com/advice/battery-tips

I is for Information: to get the best out of batteries and be able to look after them, what information do we really need to know? 

Firstly, when you are testing a battery, you need to know what type of technology it is.  Is it EFB, AGM, Flooded or Spiral AGM? Why do we need to know this?  Mainly because they have different applications and will have a different characteristic and performance when being tested.

Secondly, we need to know the battery standard. EN, DIN and SAE are the most common standards used.  Why is this important?  Because you will get an incorrect test reading if the tester is set to the wrong standard.  The diagnosis will be wrong, and you won’t be able to look after and maintain the battery properly.  The standards are set by the battery manufacturer, to ensure that we test correctly. 

Take a look at the Rotronics testers by clicking https://www.rotronicsbms.com/products/battery-testers.html

Takeaway Tip: A 1000cca EN rated battery will typically measure at around this value, however if we test the same battery as a DIN rating, the test being performed will overrate the battery’s measured CCA dramatically. Your test result will be wrong, leading to misdiagnosis and very expensive mistakes.

J is for Jump Starts. A jump start is when you need external power to a battery in a vehicle to allow it to start.  It is also a real pain in the neck and a clear indicator that something is wrong with your battery or electrical system. 

A jump start is typically done through a power pack. To do it correctly you need to make sure that the loads are off the vehicle before starting and that the jump pack or external source has enough power (ideally fully charged). Once you have jump started a vehicle, this should only be deemed a temporary fix; the battery needs to be mains charged ASAP. This will ensure that the vehicle will not break down and it will increase the serviceable life of the battery.

Take a look at the Rotronics Power Packs by clicking https://www.rotronicsbms.com/products/power-packs.html

Takeaway Tip: Find out why the vehicle needed a jump start. Consider performing a full battery and electrical system test to confirm your diagnosis. Were vehicle loads left on? Is there an abnormal drain on the vehicle? Is the vehicle’s charging system operating correctly? You must have these answers before you let the vehicle continue on its journey.

K is for: Keep Vehicles Moving. Keeping vehicles moving is more important now than ever. Whatever the vehicle, whatever the route, whatever the cargo.

Here is a workshop checklist to ensure your vehicle batteries don’t fail:

• Do you test the battery of every vehicle entering your workshop?
• Is there enough diagnostic equipment to test and charge every vehicle entering the workshop?
• Do your testers accurately test start/stop capacities?
• Do you test and charge batteries in stock, to minimise suplhation?
• Is your testing and charging equipment in a good state of repair?
• Can your chargers supply sufficient BSU (Battery Support Capacity) supporting software updates?

Takeaway Tip: If you answer NO to any of the checklist questions, seek our guidance.   Keep terminals clear from grease and grime, service and repair any faulty or worn equipment. Charge power packs continually, for emergency use.

L is for:  Lifecycle of a battery. Each round of discharging and recharging is a battery cycle. This determines how long the battery will last. Minimising deep cycling (a flat battery) is important, so keeping batteries in top condition will maximise the efficiency and long-term life of the battery. Preventing deep cycling is key; unlike dealing with your laptop, which has a nickel-based battery. Lead acid batteries should not be allowed to significantly discharge.

How to do this? Keep the battery discharge to a minimum by regularly testing and charging the battery to replenish the energy to optimum levels.

Batteries below 12.4V are deemed to be at 75% state of charge and at risk of sulphation, and will require charging to prevent the risk of premature failure.

If your workshop regularly has batteries showing less than 12.4V, you have the significant risk of replacing batteries more than necessary as their long-term life is reduced.

Takeaway Tip: Some batteries will have greater cycling efficiencies than others (AGM being more efficient that a flooded battery for example), but the rule of thumb is to ensure that you don’t let any battery get into a state of deep discharge by proactively testing and charging at every service opportunity.

M is for: money saving. We are more and more dependent on the battery to maintain a vehicle’s components. Not testing and charging batteries will cause premature failure, costs a lot of money, and keeps vehicles off the road. So, what money saving activities can be put in place? A battery management programme is essential to save you money. Test and charge every vehicle that enters your workshop and look after all batteries in storage. Even the brand-new ones, fresh in a box that have not yet gone into a vehicle. 

Keep the terminals on your testing and charging equipment clean from grease and grime, and service and repair any equipment that has become faulty or showing signs of wear and tear. Go to Technical Support & Service | Rotronics Battery Management Solutions (rotronicsbms.com) and see if we can help you.

Takeaway Tip: You will need the EXP platform https://www.rotronicsbms.com/exp1000-fhd-fleet-heavy-duty-battery-tester.html to measure the individual performance and balanced state of batteries.  Connecting this to the integrated amp clamp, you can measure any abnormal parasitic drain, that is present on the vehicle.

N is for: non-starts. Non-starts are always a concern in the summer months and battery issues remain the No 1 reason for vehicles not getting out of the garage or needing roadside recovery. There are additional loads putting pressure on the battery and it is especially important to maintain your fleet batteries to limit the unnecessary cost and inconvenience.

We all know that the haulage sector is coping with increased home deliveries, and those heading out of the UK will be waiting for paperwork at ports, which can increase the loads on the vehicle battery.

Takeaway Tip: Do you know how to identify battery defects before they trigger non-starts? Defects include unbalanced batteries, discharged batteries and parasitic drains. The only way you can identify these defects is by testing and charging every vehicle that comes into your workshop. Not doing so will impact fleet productivity, company revenues, and your reputation.

O is for OCV, which is open circuit voltage. A common myth is that all batteries are in good order if they show voltage of 12.4 when tested. Not necessarily true. Voltage isn’t always the key measurement to check. A failing battery could take on the necessary charge to get to 12.4v, but if it then experiences any load, and then the cranking of the engine, it will fail.

The OCV is not the ultimate indicator of a battery’s health, it is simply a state of charge measurement, a quick check on the voltage, but it gives you no hint of the health and capacity of the battery. This can only be found by measuring the holy trinity of cranking capability, the reserve capacity and the charge acceptance. 

These first two factors will be influenced by the voltage, but don’t be fooled by surface measurement.  This may have come from a short sharp charge or a jump start, and this can mask additional issues.

The surface charge may be showing to be good, but the depth of charge could be non-existent. This will be proven when you crank the engine over or put loads on the battery.

Takeaway Tip: As an absolute minimum, test the cranking capability, and, where possible, test the reserve capacity and charge acceptance. Go to the EXP1000FHD https://www.rotronicsbms.com/exp1000-fhd-fleet-heavy-duty-battery-tester.html and the DCA8000 https://www.rotronicsbms.com/dca8000.html to look at the technology that will do this for you and measure all three criteria in a simple automated process.

P is for PERFORMANCE, i.e., good battery performance. Keeping a battery in a good state of charge is all about maximising its rated capacity and measured performance.  It’s all about testing and charging to achieve optimal function.

You want your batteries to have enough capacity to handle any of the duty cycle requirements of each vehicle, to prolong the life of the battery and minimise risk of failure and non-starts.

We can track the lifecycle performance of your batteries through our online interactive dashboard ROBIS, which acts as your lowest cost digital analyst and remote technician. 

ROBIS has responsibility for the road map that ensures your vehicles start first time, get to their destination and you get no late delivery fines. You won’t have roadside defects due to battery issues and there will be no unnecessary battery spend because you’ll have consistent battery management quality standards and workshop practices. To learn more about how ROBIS can become the eyes and ears of your workshop, go to https://www.rotronicsbms.com/robis

Takeaway Tip: Failed warranty claims are expensive, and our customers have saved small fortunes by using ROBIS to achieve positive claims. Call us on 0121 514 0605 to find out how.

Q is for Quick Test. What can you do in under a minute?  An impertinent question perhaps, but when it comes to battery testing, an under-a-minute battery test could save you large sums of money in the long run.  If you go all-out and do a full system test in under two minutes, the rewards are even greater.  It will save you expensive headaches further down the line and, by spending that minute or two today, you will mitigate vehicles being off the road and incurring hefty costs and downtime. An extra minute for a full system test will check for excessive drains on a vehicle, make sure that the charging system is performing correctly, and that each battery is in a serviceable state and won’t let you down.

Takeaway Tip: Make sure that your technicians take a minute or two to test all batteries of every vehicle that comes into your workshop.

R is for Rejuvenation. That means reviewing your workshop practices and equipment needs with winter around the corner and the world getting back to normal.  Make sure you have everything you need to test and charge and keep your fleet vehicles on the road.

Takeaway Tip: During and after lockdown, we know that up to 60% of the batteries tested by CV workshops needed attention.  57% of those batteries are out of balance. With only 40% in a good state of charge, that means constant testing and charging for optimal performance.

S is for Service. We know that our customers make a considered investment when they purchase battery technology from us, and our best advice is to keep that equipment in peak working order. If you don’t have the equipment regularly serviced and repaired, you will get inaccurate results and won’t be managing your fleet batteries correctly. We can work with you to get the best out of your investment.

Takeaway Tip: Clear grease and grime from terminals, and any faulty or worn equipment needs to be repaired.  Go to equipment https://www.rotronicsbms.com/service-repair-centre for more information.

T is for TRAINING. You can have all the equipment that you need but unless you can use it, it’s a waste of money and you aren’t getting all the benefits that it can deliver. Technicians need to be able to understand and interpret test results to be able to pass on expertise to their customers. This is especially important for warranty claims or upselling.

Takeaway Tip: Make sure your team can use the technology and understand its purpose and value to your business and customers.

U is for UNDERSTANDING technology. Understand the battery that you are testing, the environment that it is in and the application that it is being used for.  The battery technology needs to be understood; is it EFB, AGM or flooded? Do you know how to test that properly? Is the vehicle being used for long or short trips, therefore what is the battery’s usage?

Takeaway Tip: Make sure that your team knows the difference between each type of battery and its rated value. Ensure accurate testing is carried out. Learn more about battery types here Battery Types and How to Maintain Them (rotronicsbms.com)

V is for VOLTAGE. It is an indication of a battery’s state of charge. Voltage is not a clear indication of the battery’s capability or performance alone. There are critical values associated with battery voltage to ensure it’s reliability. You don’t want the battery falling below 12.4v for a prolonged period of time to reduce the impact of sulphation.

Takeaway Tip: Always keep your batteries above 12.4v and when accepting new batteries, carry out a battery test and ideally look for voltage above 12.6v.Take a look at our products Battery Chargers | Battery Testers | Rotronics BMS

W is for WARRANTY. True warranty is manufacturer defect only, which is because of a bad cell – this occurs in less than 1% of all warranty claims. Typically, warranty doesn’t cover abuse and lack of maintenance. Warranty is a challenge to make sure that technicians look after all batteries in their care with a battery management programme.

Takeaway Tip: Make sure you test and charge all batteries in storage once per month and all vehicle batteries should be checked multiple times each year. Check out our warranty case studies ROBIS – Supporting Your Warranty Claim (rotronicsbms.com) £100,000 Warranty Claim – ROBIS to The Rescue (rotronicsbms.com)

X is for X-RAY VISION. Understanding the profile of your batteries over time gives you clarity about the batteries in your fleet. This clarity will bring you improvements in performance, reduce roadside breakdowns and cut your unnecessary battery spend.

Takeaway Tip: Use our ROBIS system to give you the x-ray vision into your fleet’s battery health. Learn more about ROBIS here Discover ROBIS - Our Unique Battery Data System (rotronicsbms.com)

Y is for YOU. Great battery performance is down to you. Don’t criticise the quality of the battery before you understand what you should be doing in a proactive battery management programme. You can minimise poor battery performance through regular testing and charging, to extend the battery life by more than 50%.

Takeaway Tip:  Get a proactive battery management programme in place – then you can understand whether you have a genuine issue with the batteries you fit, or if it’s bad management of the battery. Take a look at our products Battery Chargers | Battery Testers | Rotronics BMS

Zzzzz is for sleeping comfortably because you have all the good battery management practices in place. You have reduced your roadside defects and you have minimised your battery spend. You have also increased vehicle reliability and customer satisfaction.

Takeaway Tip: IDENTIFY the issues, ACTION the findings, resolve issues and then MAINTAIN all good practices.