October 2019

Above: Batteries can be a real income generator if you grab the opportunity B atteries represent a real profit opportunity, but you need to understand where the market is in 2019, and where it will be in 2020 and beyond. First lesson: Stop/Start technology is here to stay. Clarios, the global battery manufacturer behind the VARTA brand estimates as of 2020 every third car that enters a workshop will be equipped with Stop/Start technology. “This transition is supporting the reduction of fuel consumption and can save drivers up to 15% in fuel, during inner city driving,” said John Rawlins, Marketing Manager at Clarios. “This however, presents workshops with a new challenge when it comes to changing a car battery, with replacements becoming more difficult and time-consuming. “Battery fitting is getting more complex for workshops and installing a replacement battery on a new vehicle can take well over an hour. This is due to the increasing number of batteries being installed in difficult- to-reach places, such as under the seats or behind panels inside the cabin rather than beneath the bonnet. The number of steps to change a battery is therefore increasing, as removing seats and panels takes time and often diagnostic equipment is required for re-programming the battery to the Battery Management System (BMS). “An example of a complex battery changeover is a Volkswagen Touareg, which has 28 steps to remove the old battery and install the new replacement battery, and takes 72 minutes. Therefore, as a technician you should feel confident charging a customer for labour time on these types of time-consuming battery jobs.” Robust Many drivers are surprised that when a replacement battery for their vehicle with a Stop/Start system is required, the cost associated with the new battery is more than initially expected. “However,” pointed out John, “when you look at the power a battery is required to provide on these new vehicle types, it is understandable to see why a more robust battery is needed.” Absorbent Glass Mat (AGM) and Enhanced Flooded Batteries (EFB) have been designed to cater for the increasing electrical demands. John continued: “Fitting a traditional flooded battery will not provide the power needed to accurately engage the Stop/Start function or cope with the additional vehicle starts. In addition, an infotainment screen, smartphone interface and wi-fi output are all commonplace on the latest vehicle types, however 20 years ago, no one would have known what these were. Today, these are but a few of the features modern car batteries have to power – along with their foremost job, starting the vehicle. 46 AFTERMARKET OCTOBER 2019 BATTERIES AND CHARGERS www.aftermarketonline.net POWER UP Changing usage and new technology make batteries and battery charging a valuable opportunity you will not want to miss out on