Don’t get stuck out in the cold this winter

With the first flakes of snow appearing in the sky and temperatures set to plummet, urgent action is needed to make sure your car battery is fully charged, so you don’t get stranded out in the cold and dark with a flat battery this winter.  

Battery failure is the single biggest cause of breakdowns during the colder months, and CTEK estimates that as many as 25% of vehicles are sitting with a ticking time bomb - a battery that could potentially fail when the cold weather strikes, placing drivers at severe risk of breakdown.  

The summer heat may have put strain on your battery without you even knowing it, but this may not become apparent until the colder weather kicks in, when you’ll need much more power to get the vehicle started. Also, constant use of heated screens and seats, heaters and headlights, and an increase in short journeys during the winter, puts the battery under a huge amount of strain. So if you start out on your journey with an undercharged battery, your chances of breakdown are even greater. 

And as battery performance can reduce by 35% when temperatures hit freezing and fall by as much as 50% if temperatures get even colder, regular charging with a reliable, efficient battery charger is absolutely essential during the winter months.  

CTEK recommends the regular use of a smart battery charger such as the CT5 TIME TO GO, that will make sure your car battery is fully charged, conditioned and ready to go when the cold weather strikes.  

The CT5 TIME TO GO has an automatic built-in temperature control, making it perfect for winter charging, and is so easy to use to use – just connect it, power it up and select either the ‘normal’ 12V or AGM battery mode, then leave it to do the rest. The charger has a handy timer display that shows how long there is to go before your battery is fully charged, and it even tells you when your battery has enough charge to safely start your car.  

Bit what happens if you do find yourself stuck out in the cold, away from a power source, with a flat battery? 

Well, for these emergency situations and added peace of mind, CTEK has developed the CS FREE, a ‘4 in 1’ portable battery charger, maintainer, adaptive booster and high-tech portable power bank, that you can take with you on your journey. 

The CS FREE uses revolutionary adaptive boost technology to gently give a flat battery enough charge to get you going in around 15 minutes. This is completely safe for the vehicle’s electronics, unlike most boosters or jump starters that can cause a sharp increase in voltage that can blow the expensive ECUs (electronic control units) in your vehicle.  

The CS FREE also has USB-A and USB-B ports to charge your mobile phone, PC, tablet and other devices, and it can be used as a smart maintainer to keep your battery in the best of health when you’re back home. 

For more information, visit our winter charging page.