When selecting commercial heavy-duty batteries for trucks, Gale Kimbrough, engineering and tech services manager at Interstate Batteries, says it is important to look beyond the case. “If you’re buying by price only, the choice can be quick but ultimately less cost-efficient. However, if value is important to your fleet, then compare your actual needs to extend battery service life and reduce road call cost.”
Some of the latest challenges facing manufacturers of truck batteries include increased accessory and sleeper loads, anti-idle regulations, and cold weather performance issues. As a result, more advanced battery technology development is keeping up with those needs while providing performance and extended lifecycles at the lowest possible cost.
While not all batteries are the same, manufacturers offer a wide range of products to meet a variety of needs. Interstate Batteries, for example, has seven models of Group 31 batteries for commercial vehicles in its product line.
The Odyssey Extreme Series battery is designed to provide cranking power in excess of 2,250 amps for five seconds and to handle 400 charge-discharge cycles to 80% depth of discharge. Extreme Series batteries are made with thinner, flat 99.99% pure lead plates for added surface area, which, according to the company, provides more power than that of conventional batteries. The batteries also employ dry cell absorbent glass mat (AGM) technology to contain acid as well as offering high conductivity; corrosion-resistance, tin-plated brass terminals; a sealed design; and intercell connections to prevent vibration damage.
The manufacturer says its Trojan OverDrive AGM 31 deep-cycle battery incorporates features for long duration energy storage required for APU, inverter, and liftgate applications. The battery has plate construction that is resistant to stress encountered during deep discharge cycling by preventing erosion of active material, a high-density paste formulation to optimize current flow, and a corrosion-resistant cast sunburst array grid design that helps ensure hairline fractures do not develop during manufacturing. A polypropylene case protects the battery from damage caused by shock and vibration.
The Exide Road Force AGM 200 battery has active material supported by AGM separators that the company says allows for at least twice the cycling ability at moderate discharge levels and 3.4 times greater cycling ability at deep discharge levels compared to that of conventional flooded batteries.
Exide also offers Extreme Cycler and Extreme Power 1000 batteries with features that include a manifold vent system that virtually eliminates terminal corrosion, and a suitcase handle and side grips for easy installation.
Johnson Controls offers AGM batteries for heavy-duty truck starting and deep-cycling that feature the manufacturer’s PowerFrame grid technology designed to provide corrosion resistance and up to 70% better electrical flow. Benefits of the batteries include greater cycling capability to power extended engine-off periods; starting power, even at low state of charge and low temperatures; and robust separators that resist shorts.
As an alternative to a traditional starting battery, fleets can opt for an Engine Start Module (ESM) from Maxwell Technologies. The Maxwell ESM, which can replace a Group 31 battery or be added to a vehicle, is capable of cranking and starting engines up to 16L. It provides 1,800 cold cranking amps, recharges fully in less than 15 minutes, and is based on ultracapacitors, i.e, electrostatic devices that store and deliver power using the passage of ions in an electric field.
