Components, Manufacturing of Automotive Batteries

The price of automotive batteries is virtually unalfected by the local economy and the level of industrialization, but, rather, corresponds to that of other vehicle wear parts, which are all at commodity levels. Over recent decades, even the nominal price has been decreasing in most countries that is, including corrections for inflation, there has been an absolute annual price decrease of several percent per year. This decrease has only been possible through intensive and continuous improvements in productivity. 

The low prices are made possible by the use of inexpensive, readily available, raw materials — primarily lead — that can be recovered from recycled accumulators almost limitlessly and with little elfort worldwide (see Chapter 15). 

The most common type of SLI battery comprises the following components  

The average weight of a European SLI battery is about 15 kg, with a lead content of about 9 kg and a nominal capacity of about 60 Ah at 12 V. 

The service-life of a conventional flooded battery under the harsh operating scheme in taxis, i.e., extended periods of standstill with lights and other equipment switched on, is only 6-12 months in Europe. In high-temperature climates, this may be even shorter. Taxi operation generates much more cycling of the battery than is found for the same type of car in private use, and this results in a tremendous reduction in battery life. Field tests with AGM batteries have shown an extension of taxi-duty life by a factor of 2 3 over flooded batteries. Therefore, a major European manufacturer has equipped all new taxis with AGM batteries since 2001. 

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