Practical power advice from Ecobat Battery
When it comes to choosing the most appropriate replacement batteries for their commercial vehicle (CV) fleets, operators face a number of challenges through which they have to navigate to arrive at the best solution.
Although opting for a direct, like-for-like replacement might seem to be the most obvious and easiest option, there are several factors that need to be considered, says Ecobat Battery – and sometimes compromises also have to be made.
To assist fleets in the decision making process, the battery distributor says it can provide independent advice that can help them to identify the most important factors to consider, saving them both time and money.
“Although many operators will face particular challenges, three key factors are very often in the mix,” explained Ecobat Battery’s Andy Waite, “and these are vibration resistance, the total cost of ownership (TCO) during the lifespan of the battery and, at the top of the list, high levels of electrical demand.
“Helping them recognise the key issues and providing a solution that best meets that issue is where we can make a practical difference to the fleet manager’s working life. And, as we distribute a wide range of brands, we are not tied to one manufacturer to resolve the problem.
“However, in addition to the batteries themselves, we have many working relationships with specialist businesses that are part of the wider power storage industry, without which the story wouldn’t be complete. One such relationship is with battery management specialist, Rotronics.
“Specialising in battery management solutions that extend vehicle battery life, cut costs and boost efficiency, Rotronics – www.rotronicsbms.com – is a natural partner because, with the experience within the business allied to the very best equipment, we are able to work together with fleet operators and independent CV workshops to optimise battery performance and identify and fix issues, to reduce costly downtime.”
Andy continued: “Each solution is built around a specific business need, whether that’s fleet management, routine maintenance or vehicle efficiency and is therefore tailored to suit.
“So, addressing the primary issue, despite the increasing electrical demands of modern CVs, which are multiplied by key-out functions enforced by low-emission zones, for example, and mean that many can become so discharged that they struggle to restart the engine, many CVs still have traditional starting, lighting & ignition (SLI) batteries as their original equipment (OE) fitment.
“Looking at these demands, the most efficient answer could well be to replace the SLI batteries with top-of-the-range Odyssey AGM batteries, as the savings they’ll deliver in terms of call out costs and unprofitable downtime, as well as a minimum four-year service life, makes their TCO less than the OE batteries.
“However, the initial outlay might be prohibitive, so a compromise required, which is how our approach of working alongside our partners to find the most appropriate solution, pays dividends.”
A recent example of this practical ideology, says Andy, is when a major national haulier and long term customer of CV parts factor Fleet Components, went through its fleet’s replacement cycle.
“As a result of our excellent working relationship with Fleet Components, Ecobat Battery was recommended as the company to help resolve the issue. After analysing the problems and following consultation with the customer, it was evident that a large number of the vehicles in the fleet had extremely high levels of electrical demand due to their reliance on numerous power consuming functions.
“When all things were considered, and the day-to-day business realities applied, the Exide PowerPro EF2353 was the battery selected to help resolve the issues, due to its combination of capabilities and its OE pedigree, making it a cost-effective solution. Since the switch, another major benefit for Fleet Components has been the battery return rate, which has dropped to just over 0.5 per cent, an impressive result that has also been replicated by Fleetwheel Cardiff, another one of our satisfied customers.
“This example of customer consultation is not an uncommon occurrence for us and proves that despite being a relatively big business, we are still able to respond to the specific needs of our customers to ensure the most suitable solution to a given problem, or set of challenges, is found.”
