Automotive Electrical & Electronics Concepts

Even after well over 100 years of development and much promising research into other techniques of energy storage, the lead-acid battery is still the best choice for motor vehicle use.

This is particularly so when cost and energy density are taken into account. Incremental changes over the years have made the sealed and maintenance-free battery now in common use very reliable and long lasting. This may not always appear to be the case to some end-users, but note that quality is often related to the price the customer pays. Many bottom-of-the-range cheap batteries, with a 12 month guarantee, will last for 13 months! The basic construction of a nominal 12 V leadacid battery consists of six cells connected in series. Each cell, producing

about 2 V, is housed in an individual compartment within a polypropylene, or similar, case.