february2022 - 10

a product with limited amounts of calcium in its
chemical makeup.
Bania offered that Clarios has programs in place
with several customers who return batteries to its
labs for testing and teardowns for root cause failure
analysis. Data from the teardowns are then
analyzed and used for improved battery selection,
and to make manufacturing process improvements.
Proactively
maintaining batteries
With effective spec'ing and proven alternative
power technologies, fleets should explore other
ways to extend battery life. " Fleets don't throw
away tires just because they're low on air, " said
Larry Rambeaux, sales application engineer at
Purkeys. " The same rule should apply to batteries;
they should not just get removed due to
discharge. If you throw away batteries simply
because they are dead, you will never realize
their acceptable lifespan in your operation. "
Rambeaux suggested that to prolong older batteries'
lifespans, downcycle them to yard jockeys
Inside the Freedom
AGM Group 31 battery
» According to Xantrex, its
lithium batteries last up to
6,000 cycles, while a leadacid
or AGM battery typically
lasts 400 to 500 cycles.
Photo: Xantrex
especially important to follow
the guidelines and recommendations
from the OEM as well as
the battery supplier.
" As with any tool in a shop,
or other equipment
where they can
be monitored more easily.
" That can make great sense for
fleets, " he said, because these batteries
" are still good, but not what you
would put back in a truck that you won't see
again very often. "
Whatever the battery's age, technicians should
perform frequent battery checkups.
" What's most important is that batteries must
be properly serviced along with the entire vehicle's
electrical system, " Rambeaux said. " Better
batteries do not take the place of proper maintenance.
Simply buying more expensive batteries
usually only means having problems on
Thursday instead of Wednesday. "
Rambeaux went on to note the importance
of training technicians on proper procedures
for using battery testing equipment. He added
that new testers can store records in the cloud
so managers can make sure their maintenance
staff is doing the job correctly.
" There are several actions fleets can take to
1. Dual-sealed valve
2. Patented stamped
grid technology
3. Proprietary
negative paste
4. High density
positive paste
5. AGM separator
6. Battery case
prolong the service life of their batteries, " Bania
said. " One is properly testing and maintaining
batteries at scheduled maintenance intervals. In
addition, properly store batteries when they are
not in use for long periods of time. It is important
to ensure that the voltage does not drop below
12.4V, so we recommend putting those batteries
on a maintainer. "
Clarios also recommends that fleets follow
standard maintenance procedures for batteries
by using testing and charging systems in their
shops. Whether you're using a handheld tester
or a load tester, it is important to ensure the right
setting is selected for AGM or flooded batteries,
Bania also advised.
It is critical as well that you ensure
that proper connections are made
to the lead pad at the base of the
terminals, or to the lead adaptors
that connect to a threaded
stud post, Bania pointed out.
Improper connections can
provide false readings and
impact charging. And for high
voltage batteries, he added, it is
Graphic: Clarios
» Odyssey Extreme batteries
handle 400 chargedischarge
cycles to 80%
depth of discharge, even
at low temperatures.
Photo: EnerSys
battery testers and chargers
should be evaluated for accuracy
with the types of batteries
that are used, and also for
usability, " Cordray said. " The
tools will be most effective when
easy-to-understand equipment and procedures
are in place that encourage the use of
diagnostic test results.
" In applications where idling is not possible,
deep discharges can become normalized and
charging is critical to ensuring that the battery
achieves the longest life possible, " Cordray added.
" Charging of batteries can be specific to the manufacturer,
so a review of the technical specifications
from the battery manufacturer is recommended. "
Addressing EV
battery challenges
With the growth of electric vehicles comes other
types of battery issues and considerations as well,
in particular related to lithium-ion batteries. Those
technologies, related Jimmy Fielding, sales applications
engineer at Mission Critical Electronics
(MCE), offer benefits, including that they can be
completely discharged without damage.
For example, Fielding explained further, if you
have a 600-amp hour lithium-ion battery, you
have 600-amp hours of usable power. By contrast,
a typical traditional battery bank on a commercial
vehicle has a 400-amp-hour capacity, which
only gives you 200-amp hours of usable power.
Making that even less effective, most OEMs only
allow you to discharge the batteries 30%, so in
that case you're hardly getting any usable battery
power at all.
You might assume that more capacity means
more bulk and weight, Fielding added, but the
10 Fleet Maintenance | February 2022
february2022

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