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Automotive Batteries

Battery Capacity
Battery Capacity is defined as the amount of current it can deliver. It depends upon:
Number and area of plates in the cell. Quality of electrolyte present.

It decreases with the decrease in temperature.

Cell Voltage
The open circuit voltage of a fully charged battery cell is about 2.1 volts. A 6-volts battery would therefore be made of 3 cells, while a 12-volt battery contains 6 cells. All cars generally use 12 volts negative earth system. The cell voltage should not fall below 1.7 volts during service. Cell voltage is not affected by the cell size and the number of plates.

Battery Ratings
Rating of a battery is determined by the current it can produce and the time for which it can sustain this current. Twenty-hour rate :
It indicates the lasting power of a battery on small loads. It represents the rate of current a battery can deliver continuously for 20 hours after which the cell voltage should not drop below 1.70 volts. During the test the temperature of the battery should be approx 26*C. This is usually in ampere-hours(Ah).

Battery Ratings(Contd)
Twenty minute rate :
It represents the rate of current a battery can deliver continuously for 20 minutes, the cell voltage not dropping below 1.5 volts. The temperature of the battery at the start of the test should be brought to 26*C.

Reserve capacity :
It is the time in minutes for which the battery can supply25 amps at 25*C, without the cell voltage falling below 1.75 volts. This indicates as to how long the battery can run the car if the charging system stops working. A 44 ampere-hour battery has a reserve capacity of about 60 minutes.

Battery Ratings(Contd)
Cold rate(Zero test or Cranking Ability Test) :
It represents the current in amperes which the battery can supply continuously for 30 seconds without the cell voltage dropping below 1.4 volts. The temperature of the battery at the beginning of the discharge is kept at (- 18*C). The cold rating is also abbreviated as CCA ( Cold Cranking Amperes).The CCA rating of an automotive battery must equal or exceed the number of cubic inches of engine displacement. In metric terms 1 ampere of CCA is required for every 16 cm3 of engine displacement. Thus a 2.4 litre engine must have a battery with CCA rating of 2400/16 = 150 A.

Battery Charging
A generator is always provided which is constantly charging the battery. The rate of charging current flowing from the generator to the battery depends upon the state of charge of the battery.

If the battery is run down, the charging rate will be higher and as it gradually gets charged the rate tapers off to a lower value. For normal usage the battery gets sufficiently charged but prolonged use of some accessories may not allow the normal charging of the battery.

Charging Details
Check the electrolyte level, specific gravity & temperature. Connect the terminals to the respective terminals of the battery charger. Adjust the value of the charging current.

Temperature during recharging should not exceed 55C.


Check gravity & temperature every hour. Avoid battery overcharging. For charging many batteries simultaneously, connect them in series.

Charging Rate
Slow rate charging :
Takes 12 to 20 hours for charging a battery. It is a safe method but takes long time.

Quick rate charging :


A high charging current is employed till the battery comes to about 80% charge level, when the current is reduced to low value. With this a battery can be charged within one hour but rigorous observation and monitoring is required.

Trickle Charging :
When the batteries are in storage for longer periods, then continuous charging at very low charging rate of about 5% of normal charging rate . Continuous trickle charging is not recommended. Only day charging should be there.

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