BATTERY CHARGING

As vehicle technology continues to develop, more and more strain is placed on the battery. As a result, battery charging has become an essential part of car maintenance which should be considered as important as checking tyre pressures and oil levels.

There are various types of battery charger currently available – mostly smart chargers and trickle chargers. However, smart chargers present a much safer and efficient way of maintaining and prolonging the life of the battery.

Once a battery has reached its optimum charge levels, a trickle charger will simply send in a level of charge for a certain amount of time and then switch itself off, continually repeating the process until it is removed from the battery. This method of battery charging can potentially overcharge the battery, causing it to dry out or even start to gas, and could ultimately kill the battery.

CTEK’s smart chargers move into a pulse maintenance mode once the battery is fully charged. Rather than sending in a charge and estimating what the battery needs, a CTEK charger will stay in constant communication with the battery, reacting and charging only when it is needed.

In pulse maintenance mode, the battery will be allowed to naturally self discharge to a certain level before being fully charged once again. Not only does this avoid the risk of overcharging but, as the battery is being exercised as it would be during normal use, the lifespan of the battery is extended considerably.