WHAT TYPES OF CAR BATTERIES ARE THERE?, how much are electric car batteries

If the engine is the heart of the car that pumps the movement, the car battery is the lungs that allow the entire system to work. Without the electrical energy that the battery provides, it would be impossible to operate the vehicle , it would not even be possible to turn it on or to put into operation any auxiliary element related to comfort and safety, so when choosing between a type of battery for our car it is essential to know what they are and how they work.

As we have said before, the car battery is responsible for supplying electrical energy to our vehicle, allowing the engine and other external elements to work properly. 

Its main function is to promote the start-up of the starter motor and in this way the alternator comes into action. This energy supports the alternator when it is necessary to supply energy to other accessories such as ventilation, security, multimedia, driving assistance systems ...

Do not forget that the maintenance of car batteries is essential , like all the essential parts of the car. Battery life depends on many factors, including usage and weather factors. The revision of these falls within the periodic revisions that a vehicle usually has, even so its average life is usually about 4 years. Below we will see the 5 types of car batteries that exist and which ones are best suited to the type of vehicle you have and the use you give it.

TYPES OF CAR BATTERIES

There are mainly 5 types of car battery and each of them has a different maintenance.

Wet cell batteries

This type of battery is one of the most common that exists, this is due to its low price. It is usually found from about €40 onwards, and can reach hundreds of euros, all depending on the amperage and the brand. This battery design uses positive and negative polarity plates that are freely suspended in sulfuric acid.

These plates are isolated from each other, the negative plate is completely sealed in a separate place to prevent the positive plates from being damaged. In addition, it practically does not require maintenance, the battery fluid will remain until it dies, once this happens it is changed for another.

Calcium battery

The calcium battery is also a fairly common type of battery, in fact its operation is quite similar to the wet cell battery. Their main difference is that the calcium battery plates have a calcium alloy. This provides two great advantages: it prevents corrosion of the plates and it is possible to lose up to 80% less fluid , that is, the self-discharge rate is much slower.

As a consequence, its useful life is much longer than that of wet cell batteries. On the other hand, it has a drawback and that is that you have to be careful not to overload it, since it can permanently damage it. The bubbles that flow within the liquid are important, since they are responsible for mixing the different densities of the acids. As for its price, it is quite affordable, you can find them for less than €80.

VRLA battery (gel and AGM)

Its acronym stands for “Valve Regulated Lead Acid”. Its name refers to the safety valves that are pressurized in the battery box. Inside the box contains a liquid gas that, being pressurized, prevents any possibility of fluid loss . There are two designs of this type of battery:

Gel battery : These batteries use a silicone to make the acid denser, in the form of a gel. They are perfect batteries for cars with demanding electrical equipment, that is, they withstand deep discharges very well. On the other hand, they have a drawback and that is that they are not recommended at all to start the engine.

AGM battery : Popularly called "dry" batteries. These separate the leukocytes by means of glass fiber, causing little internal resistance and thus keeping them fixed. Thanks to this system you do not use gel or water. It is quite an innovative technology within lead batteries.

Deep cycle batteries

One of the main advantages of this type of car battery is that it has the capacity to provide energy for a long period of time, but at the same time it self-discharges much faster . The difference between these batteries is that they have thicker plates than the rest, thus increasing their charging capacity. 

These types of batteries are common among electric cars, since they consume much more electrical energy than combustion vehicles. It is also widely used in the renewable energy industry to store energy before it is distributed.

Lithium ion batteries

Some high-end or limited-edition vehicles offer these types of batteries. They are normally used to power electric cars , since they are much lighter and this allows their autonomy to improve. They are batteries that use lithium salt for their operation. They have a circuit built into them to guard against overloads.