april2023 - 22

SPOTLIGHT ON ELECTRICAL
Building brainier
» Absorbent Glass
Mat battery cutaway
Clarios
Battery systems
have had to advance
as commercial
vehicles get smarter
and rely more on
electrical systems.
By Seth Skydel
E
22 Fleet Maintenance | April 2023
ven for new technicians-or even amateur
mechanics-the vehicle battery has been one
of the easier components to troubleshoot and
replace. Working with electrical systems should
never be taken lightly, but if you follow the right
steps, it's all pretty straightforward. But over the
last several years the rest of the vehicle-particularly
the systems that feed off the battery-have
become more complex and smarter, with electric
trucks here and autonomous ones not far off.
And because of this, batteries too must increase
their IQ, and that effort is well underway at several
leading battery manufacturers.
According to Craig Rigby, Clarios VP of technology,
improving battery intelligence " is one of the
next frontiers " and will enable more autonomy
and optimize vehicles' electrical architecture " for
the sake of reliability, performance, and cost. "
And as vehicle safety evolves, Rigby noted the
level and quality of power supplied by the battery
is just as critical. Clarios is making its batteries
more intelligent by improving internal sensing
and how that is communicated to the vehicle.
This has been enabled by using Absorbent Glass
Mat (AGM) technology as opposed to a standard
lead-acid batteries. AGM batteries are more costly,
but have several benefits, including lighter weight,
more robustness, faster charging time, and the
ability to better withstand lower temperatures.
They do need to be completely charged or they
will lose capacity over time.
" Truck AGM batteries are designed to deliver
high cranking power, ensuring reliable starting
in even the coldest of temperatures, and
high capacity to support the increasing hotel
requirements of today's trucks, " explained John

april2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of april2023

Hitched Up: A fresh approach to maintenance
Equipment: Digging for the root cause
In The Bay: Trucking's fountain of youth found
Shop Operations: The post-pandemic parts plan
Electrical: Building brainier batteries
Brakes: Decoding the disc vs. drum brake debate
TMC: TMC 2023 looks ahead
Training: Are you willing to invest in techs?
Guest Editorial: Five questions to ask your lubricant technical expert
Fleet Parts & Components
Tools & Equipment
Classifieds
Product Spotlight: eCommerce
Tools & Shop Equipment Supplement: Support your techs with the right tools for the job
Tools & Shop Equipment Supplement: Diagnostic Tools
Tools & Shop Equipment Supplement: Power Tools
Tools & Shop Equipment Supplement: Hand & Specialty Tools
Tools & Shop Equipment Supplement: Shop Equipment
Tools & Shop Equipment Supplement: Tool Storage
april2023 - 1
april2023 - 2
april2023 - 3
april2023 - 4
april2023 - 5
april2023 - Hitched Up: A fresh approach to maintenance
april2023 - 7
april2023 - Equipment: Digging for the root cause
april2023 - 9
april2023 - 10
april2023 - 11
april2023 - In The Bay: Trucking's fountain of youth found
april2023 - 13
april2023 - 14
april2023 - 15
april2023 - 16
april2023 - 17
april2023 - Shop Operations: The post-pandemic parts plan
april2023 - 19
april2023 - 20
april2023 - 21
april2023 - Electrical: Building brainier batteries
april2023 - 23
april2023 - 24
april2023 - 25
april2023 - Brakes: Decoding the disc vs. drum brake debate
april2023 - 27
april2023 - TMC: TMC 2023 looks ahead
april2023 - 29
april2023 - 30
april2023 - 31
april2023 - 32
april2023 - 33
april2023 - Training: Are you willing to invest in techs?
april2023 - 35
april2023 - Guest Editorial: Five questions to ask your lubricant technical expert
april2023 - 37
april2023 - Fleet Parts & Components
april2023 - 39
april2023 - Tools & Equipment
april2023 - Classifieds
april2023 - Product Spotlight: eCommerce
april2023 - 43
april2023 - 44
april2023 - S1
april2023 - S2
april2023 - Tools & Shop Equipment Supplement: Support your techs with the right tools for the job
april2023 - Tools & Shop Equipment Supplement: Diagnostic Tools
april2023 - S5
april2023 - S6
april2023 - S7
april2023 - S8
april2023 - S9
april2023 - S10
april2023 - S11
april2023 - Tools & Shop Equipment Supplement: Power Tools
april2023 - S13
april2023 - S14
april2023 - S15
april2023 - Tools & Shop Equipment Supplement: Hand & Specialty Tools
april2023 - S17
april2023 - S18
april2023 - S19
april2023 - S20
april2023 - S21
april2023 - Tools & Shop Equipment Supplement: Shop Equipment
april2023 - S23
april2023 - S24
april2023 - S25
april2023 - S26
april2023 - S27
april2023 - S28
april2023 - S29
april2023 - Tools & Shop Equipment Supplement: Tool Storage
april2023 - S31
april2023 - S32
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