Independents face AGM battery challenge There’s still considerable confusion in the market when it comes to battery replacement for vehicles that incorporate a start-stop function, ECOBAT Battery Technologies say. NECESSARY for start-stop technology, the predicted growth in AGM battery replacement has failed to materialise. ECOBAT Battery Technologies (EBT) claim it’s because AGM batteries are not being used
"...things are finally about to change and technicians in particular need to be prepared..." in the way they were designed. In a press release, EBT said: “The AGM battery is a formidable piece of engineering that, unlike a traditional SLI battery, is designed with a high cyclic (charge/discharge/recharge) capacity and the ability to recharge extremely quickly. “Over their design life, which was projected to be around four years, they are expected, due to the vehicle’s startstop system, to make 350,000 engine starts, compared with the 30,000 expected by an SLI battery in a non start-stop vehicle.
“However, because most drivers tend to deactivate the system, the battery is under used and in effect, over engineered, as it is only making the number of starts an SLI battery is designed to make. “All this is historical however, as things are finally about to change and technicians in particular need to be prepared, because they will be at the frontline as AGM and EFB batteries come into play and replacing them with a traditional SLI battery is not an option, as they are simply not fit for purpose and will cause problems.” Start-stop batteries tend to take much longer to replace, require a battery validation device and have fitting procedures that need to be followed to prevent their premature failure. ECOBAT Battery Technologies say SLI batteries cannot be used as an alternative because they are not designed to cope with the demands inherent with the vehicle. Not only are they of the incorrect design, they will cause problems with the vehicle’s ECU and dashboard warning system. EBT added: “Take onboard these factors however, and the AGM/EFB revolution heralds a bright and profitable future for workshops, because in conjunction with a customer service orientated, vehicle by vehicle battery testing regime, they can benefit from the extra labour time required to undertake their replacement and the higher margin these batteries provide.”
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