Comparison Exide Start-Stop AGM AGM EK820 vs Exide Equipment Gel ES950

— Starter. Batteries designed to start internal combustion engines — namely, to crank the starter, hence the name. The currents when starting the engine with a starter are quite high; accordingly, batteries of this type are designed with the expectation of being able to deliver a large discharge current. However, some models can also be used as traction (see below)

— Traction. Batteries designed primarily to provide propulsion for electric motors in electric vehicles and hybrids. In addition, such batteries can also be used as a backup power source in home lighting and other similar systems. Unlike the starter battery, the traction battery operates constantly and at relatively low currents, which is taken into account in the design. Therefore, such batteries cannot be used as starter batteries — this can lead to an accident and even fire.

— Motorbike. Batteries designed for use on motorcycles. They have small dimensions, which is due, on the one hand, to a relatively small amount of space for their placement and more stringent weight requirements than cars, and on the other hand, less stress when starting motorcycle engines, less on-board electronics and, accordingly, more soft requirements for capacity and a number of other characteristics. Also , motorcycle batteries are made as resistant to shaking and coups as possible. They can have a voltage of 6 V or 12 V.

— Auto. Batteries designed for use in passenger cars and light trucks. They have medium dimensions and a standard voltage of 12 V, but the capacity can vary significantly; see "Battery capacity" for details

— Truck (bus). Batteries designed for use in buses, heavy trucks, tractors, harvesters and other vehicles of the same weight category. They have a large capacity (usually at least 100 Ah, for more details see “Battery Capacity”), because this class of transport carries rather “gluttonous” on-board electronics, and starting the engine is associated with heavy loads and requires significant energy consumption. The voltage in this class can reach 24 V, but today such models are almost out of use, and most truck batteries produce traditional 12 V.

— Water transport. Batteries designed f...or use in water transport — mainly boats and heavy motor boats. They are distinguished primarily by increased protection against moisture ingress, as well as other negative effects associated with staying on water transport — in particular, strong vibrations that can reset the terminal or damage the battery, as well as slopes (up to the fact that some models normally allow installation "on the side", at an angle of 90 °). The terminals themselves, in fact, are often made in a special “boat” format (see below), although there are options with more traditional contacts.

The form factor describes the general design features of the battery, primarily the way the terminals are installed and their dimensions, as well as the dimensions of the battery itself.

— European. A distinctive feature of European batteries are the terminals, somewhat recessed into the case. Due to this, this form factor is considered safer than the Asian form factor — the risk of a short circuit is lower when the battery falls on a conductive surface or when a metal object hits it. In addition, the terminals themselves are usually made in the form of Euro cones (see below for more details). As for the dimensions, European batteries have more depth and less height than Asian ones. As the name implies, this form factor is found in cars of European manufacturers, mainly passenger cars.

— Asian. Asian batteries are easy to identify by the terminals protruding from the top of the case; also, these terminals can be noticeably thinner than European ones, because. many models use JAP cones (although not all). If compared in size, then the "Asians" are taller and thinner than the "Europeans" (more precisely, they have less depth). This option is popular with Japanese and Korean automakers, and is also quite widespread among trucks.

— American. A rather rare form factor on our roads — due to the fact that cars from American manufacturers are most often delivered to us in the form...of modifications adapted to Europe or Asia; original versions are rare. Lightweight batteries of this form factor have "USA" screw terminals (see "Terminals"), located not on the cover, but on the front wall of the case. At the same time, both “purely American” and combined batteries are produced, which, in addition to a pair of USA terminals on the front wall, also have contacts on the cover that are more familiar to east european drivers. And in cargo batteries of this form factor, the terminals are usually installed on the cover, in the left side location.

When choosing a battery, it makes sense to clarify which form factor is optimal for your car: a discrepancy in this parameter can cause compatibility problems up to the complete impossibility of installing a battery.

Car batteries include lead-acid (SLA), advanced lead-acid (EFB), glass fabric (AGM), gel (GEL), lithium-ion (Li-Ion) and lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4). More details about them:

— SLA (lead-acid). In a broad sense, the vast majority of modern car batteries are lead-acid, because... their design is based on a combination of electrodes made of lead compounds and an electrolyte, the role of which is played by sulfuric acid diluted with water. Specifically, in this case we mean the classic type of batteries, which use ordinary liquid electrolyte. Their widespread use is due to their simplicity of design and low cost, combined with good capacity and inrush currents (see below), as well as resistance to low temperatures (compared to other types of batteries).

— EFB (lead-acid). An improved subtype of lead-acid batteries with a longer service life, a high degree of safety and a virtually maintenance-free design. The abbreviation EFB stands for Enhanced Flooded Battery, which means “Enhanced Flooded Battery.” A distinctive feature of EFB technology is thick plates made of pure lead without any impurities. The positive plates in the battery design are wrapped in special “packages” made of microfiber, which absorbs and holds liquid electrolyte. As a result, inten...sive shedding of the active substance is prevented and the sulfation process is significantly slowed down when the battery is deeply discharged. And due to the homogeneous structure of the electrolyte (it mixes during the natural movement of the car), the overall service life of EFB lead-acid batteries increases and the charging speed increases.

— AGM (fiberglass). A type of lead-acid battery, also known by the abbreviation AGM. The main feature of the design is described by the name itself: in such batteries, the space between the plates is filled not with liquid, but with fiberglass - microporous plastic, which is impregnated with the electrolyte itself (an aqueous solution of sulfuric acid). This design has a number of advantages over the classic one: for example, AGM batteries do not require maintenance (see “Maintenance”) and practically do not emit gases when charging (the resulting oxygen and hydrogen recombine inside the battery itself), are resistant to shaking and are well suited for start systems -stop (see "Start-stop support"). Their disadvantages are high sensitivity to increased voltage when charging, the need for a special charger (regular ones do not fit well), and also their high cost.

— GEL (gel). One of the subtypes of lead-acid batteries in which the electrolyte is not liquid, but is condensed to a gel-like state. This design provides a number of advantages compared to the classic version (see above): a greater number of charge-discharge cycles (and therefore a longer service life); minimum leakage of electrolyte and associated gases; no need for maintenance (see “Maintenance”); resistance to deep discharges and temperature fluctuations, etc. On the other hand, GEL batteries are significantly more expensive.

— Li-Ion (lithium-ion). Lithium-ion technology was originally used in batteries for portable gadgets such as mobile phones, but such batteries are increasingly used. The first type of transport to use Li-Ion technology was motorcycles. The advantages of such batteries over more traditional varieties include smaller dimensions and weight, the ability to produce high starting currents and be charged with high currents (the latter significantly reduces charging time), as well as a large number of charge-discharge cycles and a long shelf life. In addition, Li-Ion batteries contain a minimum of harmful substances, do not use acids or heavy metals, and some models are even positioned as absolutely harmless to the environment. The main disadvantage of lithium-ion batteries is their very steep price.

— LiFePO4 (lithium iron phosphate). Such batteries are actually a modification of lithium-ion batteries (see the corresponding paragraph), developed to eliminate some of the shortcomings of the original technology. They are notable, first of all, for their high reliability and safety: the likelihood of a battery “exploding” when overloaded is reduced to almost zero, and in general LiFePO4 can cope with high peak loads without any problems. In addition, they are quite resistant to cold and maintain operating voltage almost until discharge. The main disadvantage of this type is its slightly smaller capacity.

In this case, polarity refers to the location of the terminals on the battery. Traditionally, it is called by the location of the “+” terminal when looking at the battery from the front side (or, in the case of side terminals, from the side closer to which they are located).

- + left. In relation to passenger cars, this polarity in the CIS countries is often called “direct” or “ours”. At the same time, in trucks (see “Purpose”) the situation is the opposite - the left “plus” is a European standard.

- + on the right. In passenger cars, the right “plus” is typical mainly for European models, for which this polarity in the CIS countries received the unofficial name “euro”, or “reverse” (as opposed to the domestic “direct”). In truck batteries the opposite is true.

- + right / + left. This marking means that this battery model is available with both right and left “plus” (see above), and you can choose the option depending on the car model.

Note that the above division into “direct” and “reverse” polarity is not absolute, and in any case, before purchasing a battery, this parameter in your car should be clarified separately.

The electrical capacity of a battery, in other words, the amount of energy stored by a battery when fully charged. The capacity value is expressed in amp-hours and indicates the number of hours during which a fully charged battery will be discharged to the minimum allowable charge, delivering a current of 1 ampere to the load. For example, a capacity of 40 Ah means that the battery is capable of delivering a current of 1 A for 40 hours, or 2 A for 20 hours, etc. In fact, a more capacious battery gives more attempts to start the engine, and is also able to work longer at a low load (for example, when powering a car audio system).

The capacity requirements for different transport types differ markedly. So, in motorcycle batteries, it rarely exceeds 20 Ah, the average value for passenger cars is 40-80 Ah (but there are options for 100 Ah or more), and for heavy equipment like buses, an acceptable capacity starts somewhere from 100 Ah. The optimal value of the battery capacity is often indicated by the manufacturer in the characteristics of the vehicle, and when choosing a model by capacity, you should focus primarily on these figures.

Battery starting power measured according to EN standard. According to this standard, the starting power is the maximum power that a battery at an electrolyte temperature of -18 °C can produce for 30 s without the voltage dropping below a certain level (for standard 12 V batteries - not lower than 7.2 V). The term “starting” appeared because this mode of operation is similar to starting an engine, when the battery has to supply high power power to the starter for a short time.

The recommended starting power value is generally related to the weight category of the machine: the heavier it is, the more powerful the power is usually needed to start. And many manufacturers directly indicate recommended values in the characteristics of a particular vehicle model. If the battery is purchased as a replacement, then the general rule is this: its starting power should be no less than that of its predecessor.

Note that in practice there may be designations for starting power according to 3 more standards: SAE (USA), DIN (Germany) and TU (GOST 959-91). The first is almost identical to EN, and DIN and TU are quite easy to convert to EN and vice versa: they are similar to each other, and each of them gives a number approximately 1.7 times smaller than NE. That is, for example, to replace a 200 A battery according to the specifications, you should look for a model with a power of at least 340 A (200 * 1.7) according to EN.

The possibility of using the battery in cars equipped with a start-stop system.

The start-stop system was created to save fuel and reduce harmful emissions in a modern city, when cars are often forced to stop at traffic lights and in traffic jams. In such cars, a simplified procedure for turning off and starting the engine for short stops is provided: for example, standing at a traffic light, the driver turns off the car by pressing a button, and when the green light turns on, he starts the car by simply pressing the clutch pedal. This provides significant fuel savings, but repeated starts significantly increase the load on the battery — conventional batteries can wear out in a matter of days. Start-stop support allows the battery to work effectively in multiple starts, maintaining its characteristics for a long time.

Due to the use of lead plates, modern car batteries, even the smallest ones, are quite heavy. A special handle on the top of the battery makes it much easier to carry. Usually it is made folding.