Battery Tips

A flat battery in a normal car causes inconvenience and delay. In a 999 fleet, it removes a vital frontline asset from service. A vehicle may miss a call, need roadside support or create unplanned workshop work. Worse still, the engine may start while an auxiliary battery bank fails to support essential equipment at the […]

Battery testing should give you a clear answer. However, the words on the battery label, tester screen or printed result might make that answer harder to understand than it should be. For instance, what’s the difference between CCA and reserve capacity? Does ‘Good Battery’ mean the battery is fully charged and good to go? Why

A battery check in a statutory MOT focuses on whether it’s secure, whether it could cause a short circuit, and whether it’s leaking. You aren’t required to test whether it still has adequate cranking performance, maintains voltage under load or supports the vehicle’s increasingly complex electrical systems. As a result, you can legally pass a

A flat battery never sounds like a huge problem, but it can throw a massive spanner into your logistics work. It stops a vehicle from doing its job, often before the working day even begins. You may face a missed delivery, a roadside callout, unhappy customers and extra vehicle-off-road time. And when the same problem

Both EVs and internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles use 12V batteries. In an ICE vehicle, the 12-volt battery provides high current to the starter motor. It also supports lighting, control modules, infotainment, security systems and other low-voltage loads such as the central locking and alarm. But its main job is starting the engine. In an

Battery-related breakdowns are a massive headache. It means a customer (or several) waiting for their delivery. It means a driver and vehicle out of action. And it means a workshop team pulled away from scheduled work. In most cases, the battery is only the final straw. In many cases, the real costs come from the

Your customer is here. Their paperwork is ready. The vehicle has been cleaned. The mileage has been checked. The damage photos are done. Your team has the keys in hand, the booking is confirmed, and the vehicle is meant to be ready to go. Your team hands over the key and the customer heads out

You’re likely familiar with cold temperatures reducing battery performance. Winter is the stereotypical time for non-starts. But did you know that much of the damage to the battery may have been done in summer? Although a warm battery performs better than a cold one, that warmth also speeds up ageing. Batteries technically require a very

Battery balancing affects battery life in 24-volt systems because it changes how evenly the two 12-volt batteries respond to load and charge. In your fleet workshop, one weak or mismatched battery effectively limits the performance of the other. It can shorten service life, reduce cranking performance and increase the risk of vehicle downtime. As a

Your fleet’s EVs rely on hundreds of individual battery cells working together as one high-voltage traction battery pack. In an electric car or van, the crucial thing is that each of those cells stays consistent, delivering similar performance and charge acceptance as all the others. But as with any component, this consistency doesn’t last forever.