MEETING THE DEMANDS! PART 3

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05 Feb 2019

Category: OnRouteMag

 

MEETING THE DEMANDS!

More than ever, batteries need to be fit for purpose to avoid costly vehicle downtime – Part 3

John Bentley, technical manager for ECOBAT Battery Technologies (EBT), formally Manbat, has been running a series of features considering the knock-on effects of vehicle development on CV batteries, particularly in relation to their change of location with the introduction of AdBlue systems.

“This has an adverse effect on the battery’s ability to charge, as it can’t charge in concentrated acid and is less efficient in the dilute. In addition, the concentration of acid will cause the lead plates to sulphate from the bottom, commonly known as bottom plate sulphation, and become brittle, which left unchecked, will result in the battery losing a third of its capacity in as little as six months and contribute to its premature end of life.

“To overcome these issues, VARTA developed the ProMotive EFB battery, which not only combats the vibration issues that can result in the failure of the tabs that connect the plates to the cast on strap at the top of the plates, caused by the bottom of the plate breaking due to its brittleness, but also the electrolyte mixing issue previously mentioned.

“To address vibration, the plates within the VARTA EFB sit on ‘hot melt’ rubber at the bottom of the casing and all the tabs are linked together using the same material. The ‘through the wall connectors’ have also been strengthened, making them virtually unbreakable, which is not the case with many traditional batteries that can subsequently loose efficiency as their plates break up.

“When it comes to the electrolyte, VARTA’s engineers have come up with a patented solution, that combines a very clever Labyrinth lid and a mixing element within the battery’s internal design. This creates capillary action through each cell of the battery, which circulates the electrolyte and forces the acid concentrated electrolyte to mix with the diluted electrolyte and results in its effective homogenisation within less than a minute of the vehicle pulling away, meaning its ability to charge, as well as its overall performance is enhanced, hence the acronym EFB – enhanced flooded battery.

To find out what these development really mean for fleet vehicles, look out for next month’s email and EBT’s continuing story.

For further details, please contact ECOBAT Battery Technologies on: 01743 218500 or visit: www.ecobat.tech