Exploring the Different types of Car Batteries

The battery starts your car and powers all of its electronic functions. It also prevents power surges that can damage your vehicle’s components.

Most batteries are located under the hood, making them easy to replace with a few wrenches. There are more 12-volt options than ever, including traditional flooded lead acid, EFB, gel and absorbent glass mat batteries.

Sealed Lead Acid

Whether you’re a driver, mechanic or shop owner, 12-volt sealed lead acid car batteries are part of your everyday life. Sometimes referred to as a VRLA battery or an AGM battery, they’re maintenance free, spill proof and have great power density and performance in cold temperatures.

Like their flooded counterparts, they’re susceptible to overcharging, which can cause lead sulfate crystals to form on the battery’s positive and negative plates. These crystals restrict the flow of electrons and erode the battery’s ability to hold a charge.

Sealed lead acid car batteries, however, are designed to vent gasses during charging and usage to prevent overcharging. The way you charge and care for these batteries will have a big impact on their longevity and performance. Use a smart charger that can track your battery’s discharge rate and apply a maintenance charge only when necessary to avoid overcharging. Learn about the difference between flooded and sealed batteries as well as the different types of battery chemistry.

Absorbent Glass Mat

Unlike traditional flooded lead acid batteries, absorbent glass mat batteries (also called AGM) have the battery acid inside fiberglass mats instead of sitting as a free-flowing liquid. This makes them non-spillable and less prone to damage from vibration.

AGM batteries were developed for military aircraft, so they’re a great choice for cars with extra power demands. They can handle a bigger burst of amps, and the fiberglass mats help them resist vibration better than standard batteries.

AGM batteries are also less prone to internal grid corrosion than FLA batteries. They can withstand a higher degree of shock, and they can be stored in almost any position. They also recharge faster than FLA batteries. Essentially, AGM batteries are the new standard for car accessories, and they can easily replace your traditional flooded lead-acid battery. AGM batteries are a type of Valve-Regulated Lead-Acid Battery, also known as VRLA. They have a few differences from other types, such as gel and wet cell batteries.

Gel-Cell

Gel-cell car batteries are a type of sealed lead acid battery that uses fumed silica to transform the sulfuric acid into a gel. The encapsulated design of gel-cell batteries reduces the evaporation and spillage issues common with flooded wet cell car batteries, as well as their associated fumes. It also makes them less prone to damage from vibration and inclination since the acid is suspended in a solid mass.

Like AGM batteries, gel-cell batteries are not topped off with water and require no other maintenance. However, they must be charged at a lower rate than other types of car batteries to avoid overcharging, which can cause the gel to crack. They can also be damaged by extreme heat. A gel-cell battery will have a higher power output than other battery types, but it is more expensive and will need to be replaced twice as often as other batteries. It is still a good choice for many applications though.

Cold-Cranking Amps

The CCA rating is important for those who live in colder climates because cold temperatures cause batteries to work less efficiently and slow down their response times. However, it should not be the only factor when selecting a battery because CCA ratings decrease over time due to charge loss and other factors.

The CCA or cranking amps measurement is the amount of power a new lead-acid battery can deliver for 30 seconds at 0 degrees Fahrenheit and maintain at least 7.2 volts per cell. Some battery manufacturers also use a rating called Marine Cranking Amps (MCA), which uses the same test as CCA but is conducted at 32 degrees Fahrenheit (0 Celsius). Some other common standards used in car batteries are the SAE and DIN specifications, which both conduct their tests at -18degC.