Professional Distributor - 7

COVER STORY

RUNNING ON
full charge

As vehicle batteries and electrical systems continue to
advance, keeping up with charging and testing equipment is a must.
by Kayla Oschmann, Assistant Editor

n today's shops, technicians encounter several different types of batteries
every day. The battery, no matter the type, is one of the most important
components on a vehicle as it provides the power needed to keep the
engine running. As essential as the battery is to the vehicle, it is just as
essential for technicians to have the right tools and equipment when servicing batteries and the entire electrical system.

From sealed lead acid (SLA) batteries, absorbed glass mat (AGM) batteries,
and enhanced flooded batteries (EFB),
to the up-and-coming Li-ion batteries,
battery technology continues to evolve
as vehicle technology progresses. The
demand for more electronics coming standard in vehicles is on the rise,
as well.
Each of the battery types listed
above needs to be charged differently.
And since many batteries are no longer
found under the hood, but in places like
under the driver's seat, under the rear
seats, or in the trunk, testing can become
an issue. While this opens up a host of
issues for technicians, it also offers tool
dealers an opportunity to help their customers find the right equipment to make
their jobs easier.
"Shops generally want more options
[such as] chargers safe for use with multiple battery types, jump start help, and
adjustable voltage options," says Joel
Simmons, an independent tool distributor based in Louisville, Kentucky.
Simmons notes that he sells a decent
number of battery servicing tools and

equipment across the board; however,
he notes charging equipment is at the
top of the list.

CHANGES IN CHARGING
REQUIREMENTS
In the past, if a battery needed
charging, technicians would grab a battery charger with a simple timer to regulate the length of time the charger would
charge the battery. Today, each battery
type needs to be charged differently.
"You must have a charger that is
marked for each of these battery types or
it is not recommended to use," says Gary
Mackey, vice president of global sales
and marketing at Associated Equipment.
In addition, many battery manufacturers are requiring their batteries
be charged at different voltages.
SLA batteries charge at around
15.5V; AGM batteries at 14.4V (this was
previously 14.8V) since they don't have
free flowing electrolyte or battery acid;
EFBs at 14.7V; and Li-ion batteries are
the most sensitive and charge at 13.613.9V, Mackey notes. He advises technicians should have an adjustable voltage

charger nearby to accommodate these
updated charging specifications.
Failure to charge batteries properly
can result in significantly shortening
their life, sulfation, or cause immediate failure. Batteries are very sensitive
to excess voltage and require specific,
controlled charging.

ADDITIONAL SERVICING
CAPABILITIES
Depending on the customer's needs in
regard to the battery and electrical system service they provide, some additional capabilities may prove useful, or even
critical, when completing a repair. For
one, the need for stable power is much
greater now than it was in years past.
"Every single bay needs to have a
charger with a power supply capability,"
says Jim O'Hara, vice president of marketing at Clore Automotive. "There are
many different reasons why [a technician] needs to be providing stable power
to the vehicle. The way the vehicle is
configured, in order to diagnose it, repair
it, and service it is changing, [which]
changes the way the charger is needed
or deployed in the bay."
O'Hara provides a few examples:
"When doing diagnostics on the
electrical system, specifically if I'm trying to find an intermittent fault, one of
the things that I'm going to want to do is
take the battery out of the equation,"

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