Voltage stabilizers for car batteries

Cold weather: peak performance for the vehicle battery

The cold start of a car battery is a critical moment that is influenced by various electro­physical factors:

1. Internal resistance of the battery: at low temperatures, this resistance increases. The battery can supply less current during cold starts. This is a critical factor affecting the starting process. Approximately 50 to 250 amps of current is required to start a passen­ger car, and 100 to 500 amps for a commercial vehicle. A brand-new, fully charged battery with a capacity of 40 to 120 Ah can deliver between 340 and 900 A imme­diately, depen­ding on its capacity.
   At low tempe­ratures, the instan­taneous output drops to 300~400 A. For older batteries even further. In such a situation, an additional energy supplier - in the form of an ultracap module - can compensate for the missing 100 to 200 A for a normal starting process.

2. Battery capacity and chemistry: The capacity of a battery depends on its chemistry. Lead-acid batteries are common in most cars. At low tempera­tures, the chemical reaction rate in the battery decreases, further reducing its capacity. Lithium-ion batteries, which are generally used in electric vehicles, tend to be less sus­ceptible to capacity loss during cold starts. Since the imple­mentation of eMobility still needs many years, supporting the car battery in internal com­bustion vehicles with ultracap modules for a long time still makes a lot of sense.

3. Influence of temperature: cold influ­ences the chemical reaction rate in the battery. At low tempera­tures, the reaction slows down, resulting in reduced availability of electrons. This leads to a lower perfor­mance of the battery when starting the engine. If external devices (entertain­ment, lighting, ventilation, etc.) are then operated for longer periods, for example during waiting times, the battery is quickly ex­hausted in winter. For this reason, such ultracap boosters are often installed as retro­fits in camper­vans and camping cars.

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4. Effects on electrolytes: electrolytes in the battery can thicken at low temperatures, hindering the movement of ions and further degrading battery performance.

5. Effect on charge and discharge characteristics: Cold tempe­ratures can limit a battery's ability to charge and discharge quickly. This is especially impor­tant in situations where addi­tional power is needed, such as when using lights, heaters, or electronic devices in the vehicle during startup.

Ways to increase the efficiency of vehicle batteries

Several approaches can be taken to use batteries in cars and trucks more efficiently:

• Improving battery technology: new battery techno­logies with improved cold resistance and higher capacity are critical. This can signifi­cantly improve battery perfor­mance during cold starts.
• Thermal insulation: using thermal insulation in battery cases can help protect the battery from extreme tempera­tures and optimize its performance in cold conditions.
• Preheating the battery: Preheating the battery before a cold start can improve its perfor­mance. This can be done using electric heaters or other thermal devices.
• Electronic battery management: modern vehicles use advanced elec­tronic systems to monitor and control the battery. These systems can help maximize battery efficiency by optimizing current flow and impro­ving power mana­gement. This includes the use of special ultracap modules that deliver power quickly and safely when energy demand is high, reducing the load on the battery.
  
  CAPCOMP is a distributor of Ultracap solutions for stabilizing on-board voltage. We advise and distribute Ultracap modules of the brands CAP-XX and PUREECHEM. Call us!

Further advantages of voltage stabilization with ultracaps

• Improvement of cold start capa­bility with an average of 200 CCA.
• Improvement in fuel efficiency (5 - 10%), especially during idle stops and restarts of the vehicle.
• Stable power supply for the electrical parts of the vehicle.
  The configuration of super­capacitor VSS in parallel with Pb battery keeps the voltage of Pb battery at 10 V or more at the time of engine restart. This ensures the stability of the electrical component when the voltage increases:
  - Regulation of unstable voltage situations
  - Stabilization of idling
  - Improving the perfor­mance of head­lights and audio equipment
  - Increasing combustion efficiency for more power/torque
  In trucks, larger ultracap module units, such as the truck starter module shown below, are installed for voltage stabilization.