Knowledge Base
We know that buying battery equipment is an incredibly important investment for our customers, and we are always conscious of the many pitfalls that exist. There are so many products on the market, at a whole variety of price-points.
To help support you in making the right decision regarding equipment you should be investing in, our team of experts has collated some battery tips. Our battery tips span subjects from EFB charging and looking after stationary vehicles, to maintaining vehicles throughout the winter months. We pose a range of questions to ask yourself if you are about to embark on the purchase of battery maintenance technology.
Whilst our key advice is to know exactly what you need the equipment for; know what and why you want to test and know what kind of batteries you will be charging, we are here to guide you through the price differences, the quality options, and try to make the purchase of any equipment a little easier.
If you do not find what you want in our battery tips, please do not hesitate to call us on 01453 621 244, send a message to info@rotronicsbms.com or contact us via live chat. We are constantly adding articles to this page, so if you have any suggestions for future topics, please let us know.
What is system testing and what does it reveal?
All too often, fleet technicians are forced into rushed reactive repairs when a car, truck or bus won’t start. A quick voltage test usually reveals ...
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The cost of poor fleet battery management
Your buses likely run for extended periods every single day. Poor bus fleet battery management could lead to battery problems in one or, in severe ...
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Why EV immobilisation is essential for first responders
Your team of first responders approaches an incident. It’s a significant collision, with drivers and passengers trapped in their vehicles. Although nobody’s presenting with symptoms ...
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What’s the point of showroom maintenance?
You have a car in perfect condition on display. A customer wanders round, seemingly excited and ready to buy. They ask for a test drive. ...
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What is system testing and what does it reveal?
In the world of automotive batteries, system testing is checking the condition of your vehicle’s 12-volt (or 24-volt) system. This includes the battery (or batteries), ...
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How do you balance battery packs in series?
You may be looking for information on one of two things, and we’ve included both on this page. Either: Balancing 24-volt systems (connected in series); ...
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Battery cell balancing – what to balance and how?
Your fleet EVs rely on their high-voltage propulsion batteries. They are, quite literally, the driving force. Despite onboard battery management systems (BMSs) helping keep the ...
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How to deal with a roadside breakdown
Roadside breakdowns aren’t just frustrating. They mean downtime, delayed schedules and disruption to your drivers, all of which can impact your bottom line and reputation. ...
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GRX-3000 vs DCA-8000 battery charger, which is better?
If you run a busy garage, service centre or workshop, there are only two things on your mind, speed and accuracy. You need fast answers ...
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Five big benefits of the Midtronics DCA-8000 charging system
As a service centre for passenger vehicles and vans, you’ll be familiar with battery problems. You know the importance of staying on top of these ...
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How to overcome the dangers of EV runaway?
Electric vehicles are becoming increasingly popular on our roads. You’ve no doubt noticed. That means demand for EV servicing is gradually increasing, and electric cars ...
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Why do vehicle batteries drop out of balance?
A 24-volt battery system offers fantastic benefits. It halves current for a given power level, reducing resistive losses and improving cranking performance in high-load vehicles. ...
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Is it safe to fast charge a car battery?
You know those mornings when there’s too much to do and you’re in a rush? Well, maybe that’s every morning. Between an emergency puncture repair ...
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How to check battery state of charge?
Let us paint you a picture. It might be familiar to you. It’s 6am and still dark. You can see your breath in the air ...
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How to check if your vehicles’ batteries are balanced
The 24-volt battery systems in your trucks, lorries, buses, coaches and other utility vehicles naturally feel harder to stay on top of than those in ...
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Will an old charger work with a new car battery?
A new battery for your fleet vehicle. Perfect. But just before you attach the terminal clamps, you have a thought. That old battery charger you’ve ...
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Which battery tester is right for you?
Automotive businesses need a good battery tester. Whether you serve everyday drivers, other companies, or work on in-house vehicles, ether in a workshop or on ...
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How important is battery management for electric vehicles?
Most EV drivers and operations are used to thinking about battery health, at least on some level. Many people spend a lot of time (even ...
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Do rechargeable car batteries ever stop holding a full charge?
A rechargeable car battery is a fundamental component of every single modern car. Its most important job is to power the starter motor, as well ...
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Can battery balancing fix uneven discharge?
Whether you work in a fleet operation or for a garage subcontracting HGV repairs and servicing, you might be familiar with the following: Repeated early ...
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What’s the best portable car battery charger?
Battery failures happen all the time. And if your vehicle, or a customer’s, is stranded on the side of the road somewhere, you’re probably in ...
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What can shorten the life of a car battery?
Every fleet manager knows the dreaded sound of a non-start on a cold December morning. You sigh, and rightly so. Because that one battery failure ...
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Is fast charging bad for electric cars?
The EV revolution is upon us. Just 15 years ago, the Nissan Leaf and the early Tesla models were the only real mainstream electric vehicles. ...
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How does operating temperature affect vehicle batteries?
As a fleet manager, which are your technicians’ least favourite times? The January days when the workshop simply never warms up? Or the August days ...
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Can you salvage a dead battery?
You pull a van into the workshop, and the battery reads flat. It hasn’t moved for months, and nobody has started it in weeks. You ...
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Is it possible to overcharge an EV’s battery?
With smartphones and laptops, everyone’s always telling us, “Don’t overcharge them”. But is it the same for an EV? What about all those people who ...
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Tips for maximising the life of your fleet’s batteries
It’s one thing to have a fleet vehicle that doesn’t start on a cold morning. That knocks things back a bit in your workflow, but ...
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Can frequent fast charging damage my fleet’s batteries?
Fast charging is convenient. If your fleet truck or van needs a quick turnaround or to get started on the side of the road, a rapid ...
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What can shorten the life of a fleet vehicle battery?
Petrol and diesel engines have depended on their batteries ever since the invention of the starter motor. They’re the lifeblood of what makes your fleet ...
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Why are my fleet’s batteries draining so fast?
Your driver arrives long before dawn to take the already-loaded trailer of goods down to another depot 300 miles away. You serviced and replaced the ...
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Can you reactivate an old or dormant vehicle battery?
Your workshop phone rings. A driver reports that one of your trucks has been parked up for a few months. It was meant to be ...
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What is inductive battery balancing?
Unbalanced EV battery packs can have a massive impact on your vehicles’ performance, efficiency and reliability. If just one cell lags behind, the whole pack ...
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How do unbalanced battery cells impact electric vehicle range?
In every EV battery pack, dozens or even hundreds of cells work together to power the vehicle. But if just one of them falls behind, ...
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Battery balancing guide: optimise performance & longevity
As a busy mechanic or technician, you’ll know that a chain is only as strong as its weakest link. The same principle applies to EV ...
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Batteries in series vs parallel: what’s the difference?
EV fleet workshops are busy places. And, of course, the work usually comes in waves and rushes, most often just as your technicians are relaxing ...
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Everything you need to know about battery balancing
Battery imbalance can be a vehicle’s silent killer. It’s a natural process that quietly works away until one of the 12-volt batteries in your 24-volt ...
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What is battery balancing and what does it achieve?
The odds are that the two 12-volt batteries in your 24-volt system came in pairs. A technician probably installed both on the same day. They’re ...
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What is passive top balancing and how does it work?
The battery packs in your EVs are made up of hundreds (and in some cases thousands) of individual cells connected in series. The more cells ...
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Can battery balancing optimise my EV’s performance?
Electric vehicles (EVs) store chemical energy in their battery packs, which is then converted to electrical power to drive the wheels. These battery packs are ...
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How many years should a vehicle battery last?
Batteries don’t usually fail all of a sudden. They wear out slowly, often without warning, until one day the engine won’t start. Every fleet has ...
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How do vehicle battery testers work?
Vehicle battery problems often aren’t just about low charge. Most of the time, something inside the battery is wearing out or failing. That’s why knowing how battery ...
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Battery chargers vs testers – what’s the difference?
A truck engine in your fleet doesn’t start. The driver’s already behind schedule. There’s pressure to find the fault, fix it fast and get back ...
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A complete guide to vehicle battery starters, chargers & testers
You know the drill. Your parcel delivery driver gets stuck outside a countryside farm. Your bus has to let all its passengers off. Your ambulance ...
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Signs it’s time to change a vehicle battery
As a fleet manager, there’s something strangely unsettling yet completely normal about that unmistakable sound of a car struggling to start. When that sound happens, ...
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How can I test the health of my fleet’s batteries?
The 12-volt battery issues in your fleet could be a silent productivity killer, even if you run EVs. Usually, no one notices battery problems until ...
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What’s the role of battery management in electric vehicles?
If you manage an electric vehicle fleet, you’ll know how disruptive battery issues can be. A flat or failing battery doesn’t just sideline a vehicle; ...
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Can Independent Service Centres Support EV’s?
With over 1.4 million Electric Vehicles on the road in 2024 and a large push from government and vehicle manufacturers for drivers to switch over ...
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Get your Workshop Ready for Winter
It is well known that batteries suffer in the Winter, we highly recommend being PROACTIVE when it comes to battery maintenance in the cold, harsh ...
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5 Vehicle Problems that Contribute to Battery Failure
Every vehicle’s reliability – even EV’s – depends on the 12V battery, a faulty battery creates a faulty vehicle, but a battery’s performance isn’t just ...
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Does Auto Stop/Start Technology Affect Battery Heath?
In recent years, car manufactures have fitted Automatic Stop/Start technology to vehicles in a bid to reduce fuel consumption and emissions. This system will shut ...
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Implementing a Battery Management Programme
No matter what size workshop you operate or what vehicles you are working on, battery maintenance is essential to ensure vehicles stay on the road ...
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Battery Tester Maintenance
Maintaining batteries is important, but so is maintaining your Midtronics battery tester. Ensuring that your Midtronics battery tester is in best condition will reduce maintenance ...
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Increase your Workshop Opportunities
Routine battery testing is often overlooked. By introducing one simple additional step into your service routine you can increase your workshop profit opportunities and customer ...
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Battery Charger Buying Guide
Finding the correct battery charger to suit your needs can be difficult. We offer battery chargers from leading brands Midtronics, CTEK and DEFA. These brands ...
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CTEK 8 Step Charging, How Does it Work?
CTEK is well known for its high quality vehicle charging solutions, offering chargers suitable for consumers and professionals. A lot of CTEK’s products have their ...
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Understanding Battery Test Results
Rotronics only supply Midtronics battery testers, due to their accuracy, features and user benefits. Understanding how to carry out a battery test and understand the ...
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Battery Tester Buying Guide
Battery failure is the leading cause of vehicle breakdowns, accurate testing can allow you to make informed decisions to ensure vehicles are not leaving with ...
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What you need to know about EFB’s (Enhanced Flooded Batteries)
EFB batteries are an enhanced version of standard wet-flooded technology. These type of batteries should not be confused with standard flooded or AGM batteries. The ...
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Good Practices for Commercial Vehicle Battery Maintenance
As many as 80% of roadside breakdowns are caused by battery-related issues, such as discharged batteries. To help commercial vehicle workshop managers improve their battery ...
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