Veloris: how battery selection can reduce costly downtime
Battery distributor Veloris, formerly Ecobat Battery, has offered guidance on the power storage-related challenges faced by commercial vehicle operators and workshops.
Although the Veloris name is new, the company emphasises its continued commitment to delivering exceptional service standards and to add value for its customers.
These principles also extend to its indirect customers, which can access premium brands such as Exide, VARTA, Lucas, Numax and Ctek. Additionally, alongside Rotronics, one of its strategic partners, Veloris highlights its ability to provide genuine, real-world solutions to fleets’ battery issues.
“For instance, although the logical thing to do when CV batteries need replacing might seem to be to simply swap them with new versions of the same product, the best way forward is to consider the needs of the fleet and what batteries best suit its fundamental requirements,” advised Veloris.
“Top of these requirements is to maximise vehicle availability, an objective that can very often be met by upgrading the batteries to original equipment (OE) quality EFB and AGM technology batteries, which are designed to provide the charge/discharge/charge cycles that modern vehicles go through during their daily operation.
“With power hungry ancillaries such as refrigerators, TVs, heaters and tail lifts now commonplace on today’s CVs, a stable source of power that ringfences important safety equipment like ADAS and onboard electronics is an absolute necessity, and the correctly specified battery will go a long way to achieving that and so prevent the majority of the electrical faults that would otherwise take the vehicle out of service.”
These factors all contribute to a lower total cost of ownership (TCO) for the vehicle, says Veloris.
“So, as service and repair decisions are largely driven by the vehicle’s cost per mile covered, a reduction in energy related breakdowns and a longer service life, both benefits provided by upgrading to OE quality EFB and AGM technology batteries, makes achieving a lower TCO a reality.
“Ignoring the facts and simply opting for like-for-like replacements, or worse still going for the cheapest option, is one of the biggest hidden costs in fleet maintenance.
“In contrast to the reliability benefits and lower TCO afforded by OE quality EFB and AGM batteries, the low initial cost option increases the likelihood of costly vehicle breakdown and retrieval, potentially resulting in undelivered payloads, penalties and inconvenience.”
Alongside superior performance and greater longevity, says Veloris, additional benefits offered by OE quality EFB and AGM technology batteries come with their increased resistance to vibration.
“Vibration is a growing problem for many operators, as the now normal, end of frame location of the batteries in many CVs, combined with the poor quality of the UK’s road network and significant increase in the number of surface mounted traffic calming measures, make it a near constant dynamic.
“Batteries with a high resistance to vibration therefore, also contribute to those ‘golden tickets’ of increased vehicle reliability and a lower TCO.
“In summary, OE quality EFB and AGM batteries are engineered to cope with the high electrical loads and demanding duty cycles of modern CVs, have a higher vibration resistance and are able to deliver reliable engine starts, stable power and a longer life span.
“This combination provides a compelling case that they should be the go-to solution for operators’ replacement battery needs.
“Veloris’ overriding objective is to deliver energy with certainty, connect manufacturers to end customers, to provide the best advice and access to new innovations, and continue to underline its position as The Battery Partner for the CV sector.”
