How to Make Your Car Battery Last Longer

Batteries have a hard time offering clues that they are about to fail. That’s why preventative maintenance and responding quickly to the few clues that are present can make your car battery last longer.

Every auto battery uses a chemical reaction to produce electricity for your vehicle. But the type, surrounding temperature and driving habits can shorten its life cycle.

It’s the Lifeblood of Your Car

Car batteries are responsible for starting the engine and powering other electrical parts of your vehicle. The battery is also capable of storing and recharging energy for your car’s accessories, like lights and the radio.

Lead-acid batteries are the most common types used in cars today. They have plates of lead and lead dioxide immersed in a liquid electrolyte solution that’s one-third sulfuric acid and two-thirds water. When you turn on the ignition, the acid triggers a chemical reaction that generates electricity.

Most modern lead-acid batteries have low maintenance requirements. However, they may require a periodic top up of water to compensate for the water lost through electrolysis on each charging cycle. Top up with demineralized or distilled water. The more impurities in the water, the less efficient the battery will be.

It’s Made up of Cells

Car batteries contain a series of electrochemical cells. Each cell produces 2.1 volts, and when the cells are connected car battery in a series (end to end and -to-+), they produce the battery’s total voltage of 6 x 2.1 = 12.6 volts.

Lead acid batteries, the type most commonly found in cars, contain about 99.9% pure lead and weigh from 16 to 21 pounds. They also contain about a pound of sulfuric acid.

Lead storage batteries can be recharged, but over time their electrodes and electrolytes will deteriorate. This deterioration, known as “sulfation,” causes the lead to become coated in solid lead sulfate that eventually flakes off and drains the battery’s electrolyte. The battery must be charged regularly to prevent sulfation and extend its life.

It’s Made up of Electrolytes

The key to a battery’s power lies in the chemical reactions that occur at the positive and negative plates. Voltage, the force that drives these reactions, determines how much work they can do. The higher the voltage, the more electron tug-of-war between the cathode and anode, the more electric current (measured in amps) the battery can generate.

The electrolyte in a car battery is a mixture of sulfuric acid and water; in older lead-acid batteries, this was typically distilled water. These batteries required regular “top ups” to replace water lost during the electrolysis process on each charging cycle. Newer designs use different alloys for the plate electrodes, reducing water loss unless the battery is overcharged.

As more EVs are sold, battery chemistry and design is changing rapidly. That change puts the entire supply chain at risk if one or more large companies oversee the extraction, refining, processing and assembly of an outsize share of components.

It’s Made up of Plates

Your car’s battery contains lead plates coated with active material that are immersed in a dilute solution of sulphuric acid. This type of battery, known as a lead-acid battery, is the most common and accounts for over 90% of the batteries in use today.

Each plate has a metal grid and the positive end has lead dioxide material while the negative end is made up of porous sponge-like lead. A separator is placed between each pair of plates to prevent them from touching which would cause a short circuit and ruin the battery.

The plates are then formed into a battery group with a heavy lug on one upper corner for carrying current. The cell connectors, Fig. 17, are burned to the strap posts and then each cell is filled with electrolyte. The battery is then given an initial charge, usually at a low rate, which brings its specific gravity up to the desired level.

It’s Made up of Separators

The separators keep the positive and negative plates within each cell from touching and short-circuiting. They also allow the battery’s electrolyte ions to pass between the cells.

These ions create an electrical current that’s able to power the starter motor or any other electrical components your car might have. Volts (V) and Amps (A) are the measurements of this electrical current, with higher numbers indicating more starting power.

There are several types of batteries, but the traditional lead-acid type is most common. This type uses cells with alternating lead plates and immerses them in a liquid electrolyte solution made up of one-third sulfuric acid and two-thirds water. The flooded batteries require periodic maintenance, like topping off the fluid with distilled water. However, newer batteries are a solid-state alternative that don’t use liquid bases.

It’s Made up of Straps

Car batteries contain several rows of positive and negative plates, or grids. These plates are submerged in sulphuric acid which triggers a chemical reaction with the material on each plate producing ions and lead sulphate. These ions flow through the battery to a positive and negative terminal. The voltage generated by each cell in a battery adds up to create the overall battery voltage of 12 volts.

These plates are separated by separators that allow ionic current to flow mercedes battery replacement between the positive and negative grids while preventing them from short circuiting. These separators also help the battery hold its charge.

Traditional lead-acid batteries called wet cell batteries have vents in their lids so that electrolyte levels can be topped up. Later’maintenance free’ batteries were introduced that use one-way valves to reduce internal gas movement and gel cells which are non-spillable (although charging a gel battery too quickly may damage it). These new designs have lessened the rate of self-discharge.

It’s Made up of Voltage

The car battery is a powerful device that stores chemical energy and transforms it into electricity on command. This electrical current powers all of the devices in your car from headlights to your radio.

A typical lead acid battery has six cells each containing a pair of plates (lead dioxide and lead) submerged in sulfuric acid. This creates a reaction that produces ions and leads to the creation of electrons. This process is reversible, so you can charge and discharge your battery many times over the life of your car.

You can check your battery’s voltage using a handheld tool called a multimeter. Before you test the battery, turn off any power draws like air conditioning and radio to avoid drawing on the vehicle’s energy.