Overdrive Magazine | Trucking Business News & Owner Operator Info
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/293070
50 | Overdrive | April 2014 EQUIPMENT SPOTLIGHT BATTERIES The need for power For today's tech-heavy trucks, AGM batteries may be best By Jack Roberts and Dean Smallwood V ehicular batteries are technological marvels. But for all our dependence on them in both commer- cial and consumer applications, they largely are forgotten or ignored – until they fail, of course. For most of the past century, automotive battery development has been slow and steady, with most of the resulting improvements focusing on longer maintenance-free life. Now, all that is changing: Rising fuel prices, anti-idling laws, alternative-drive vehicles and an exponential boom in the power requirements on commercial vehicles all are driving more battery research and development. Experts say the next generation of truck batteries will be smaller and lighter with greater energy storage capacity. Moreover, these batteries will be smarter. They will be able to control and prioritize energy consumption while auto- matically counteracting temperature extremes. Consider this: Cold-weather starts soon may be alleviated by batteries intelligent enough to warm themselves on a harsh North Dakota morning before a key turns the ignition. Some of the leading batteries on the market today are absorbed glass mat units that have additional storage ca- pacity and power density to handle new trucks' complex electronic systems. Carrier PowerRush Platinum Carrier's PowerRush Platinum AGM battery is designed to provide higher per- formance and longer life than conventional 12-volt wet-cell batteries. Absorbed glass mat technology is used to provide 1,150 cold-cranking amps of high start- ing power, deep cycling ability and added cold starting performance. The pure lead battery is engineered to retain more power in low temperatures. Carrier Transicold, trucktrailer.carrier.com Exide Extreme Cycler Exide's Extreme Cycler 200 battery is available with 700 cold-cranking amps and 200 minutes of reserve capacity for no-idle demands. The flooded product is a bridge between the company's pre-existing Group 31 product lines and its valve- regulated RoadForce AGM-200 battery. Design elements include flooded epoxy anchor bonding, a reinforced ribbed case, heavier terminal connections, screw- in caps with rubber manifold venting and oversized cast-on straps. Exide Technologies, exide.com EquipSpot_0414.indd 50 4/1/14 7:37 AM