Battery Jargon Buster

At some point we have all found ourselves in a conversation with someone who knows much more about whats going on than you do. Try as you might to understand, they either can't explain something to you without confusing you with more jargon, or they just purposely try to catch you out to get the upper hand.

This page explains in detail the most common slang, jargon and abbreviations used in the battery industry, so you should never again be caught short.

Ampere (AMP)

The unit of measure of current flow through a conductor or circuit.

AH (Ampere-hour)

This figure is the time a battery can maintain a constant current under a specific discharge period. For example a 'Platinum 019SPPLA' battery has an Ampere-hour rating of 100Ah over a 20 hour rate. This means that under constant discharge, this battery can maintain an output of 100Amps for at least 20 hours.

Calcium Calcium & silver Calcium Batteries

Calcium calcium batteries have calcium alloy on both positive and negative grids. Silver batteries also have an amount of silver in the alloy. Added benefits above Calcium Hybrid batteries are improved CCA ratings, further reduction of electrolyte loss, higher resistance to internal corrosion and provides longer service life even in high heat conditions as well as faster high voltage starts.

Calcium Hybrid Batteries

In a drive to market batteries that require no topping up during their lifetime and an extended shelf life, battery manufacturers have moved to lead calcium batteries to meet these needs. Calcium Hybrid batteries have calcium alloy only on the negative grids where as calcium calcium batteries have calcium alloy on both positive and negative grids. The reason calcium batteries require no topping up is because calcium alloy grid batteries gas at a higher voltage than conventional lead acid batteries and reduce the need to top up by 90% and shelf life by an increase of 63%.

Capacity

Capacity describes the the total amount of electricity a battery contains. With rechargeable batteries the overall capacity it can provide can easily be reduced if not correctly recharged.

CCA (Cold Cranking Amperes)

The Cold Cranking Amperes (CCA) of a battery measures how well it will perform at a certain temperature. In Europe the most common rating is the SAE  (Society of Automobile Engineers) rating of -18c. A figure listed as being SAE rated will mean that at -18c it can provide that many amps over a 30 second period. The higher the CCA rating, the better that battery will be at starting a vehicle.

Current

Current designates the flow of electricity through an electrical circuit. A higher reading indicates a more powerful current.

Current (Alternating)

A current that varies periodically in magnitude and direction.(A/C)

Current (Direct)

An electrical current flowing in one direction only. A battery delivers direct current (D.C.) and must be recharged with a direct current.

Cycle

When a battery has been fully discharged and then recharged, that is classified as one cycle.

Discharging

When a battery is delivering power, it is also in the process of discharging.

Electrolyte

This is a mixture of water and sulphuric acid that fills a lead-acid battery and allows the storage of electrical power.

Element

The element Inside a battery, is a set of positive and negative plates assembled with separators.

Envelope Separation

Each individual battery plate that contains the active materials are enclosed in a micro porous envelope that firmly separates the plates but allows efficient chemical reaction through the micro porous envelope, thereby extending the service life and improving the electrical performance of the battery.

RC (Reserve Capacity)

Very similar to an Ampere-hour reading, Reserve capacity is calculated in minutes and much easier to understand. The RC reading is the length of time in minutes that a battery can provide a current of 25amps at a temperature of 25c until it is drained down to 10.5v

Sulphation

A common cause of battery failure, sulphation occurs when a battery is left to stand in a partly charged state. The most common indicators of sulphation are cloudy battery acid and a strong egg like smell, particularly when charging.