How does a stop/start battery work?

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21/10/2020

Battery Stop Start

As vehicle manufacturers increasingly turn to build “green” machines, with better recyclability of parts, lesser reliance on materials with potentially dangerous components when recycled, and better tech such as LED headlights, they also factor in a small yet potentially important part of contributing to greenhouse gases.

A car’s engine emits various gases when it’s switched on. And in certain traffic situations such as morning and afternoon jams, there are emissions being created when the vehicle is effectively at its worst by not moving.

Enter the Stop/Start system. This is an electronically controlled engine management system that, when the sensors read no forward movement (generally from the brake being applied and held), it reaches out to the engine and turns it off.

To clarify that last bit a little more: it’s almost a state of suspended animation, and in a way they have to be ready to spring to life at a fraction of a second’s notice. That is where a dedicated Stop/Start battery is required and yes, Aunt Martha, they’re somewhat different to a normal car battery.

Any car battery fitted is designed to have one major purpose in life. That is to provide enough zap to start a car engine. A secondary purpose and one becoming increasingly necessary, is to power items such as climate control, windows, USB ports, wireless charging pads, digital screens, even tailgates in SUVs. But it’s that first one that will define a Start/Stop battery more than a normal battery.

You see, when a Stop/Start system is activated (as it can be deactivated by a press tab in the cabin for most brands) it has to deal with an engine that potentially will Stop and need to be restarted several, if not tens, of times a day, not just a couple.

Therefore its cycle life (think the batteries used in a solar light that give out after a year, of a smartphone battery that provides less oomph after two years) has to be up to the task over a period of time that a normal car battery is expected to last.

To pinch a phrase from those morning TV show infomercials, “the secret is in...” the construction of the battery. A normal car battery is called a lead-acid battery, and the basic design is around a century old. A container full of a liquid acid washes over lead plates hung vertically to provide the charge.

One type of Stop-Start battery is called a ECM or Enhanced Cyclic Mat battery. It may also be known as an Advanced Flooded Battery or perhaps an Enhanced Flooded Battery. These provide a “deep-cycle” performance level which means they do the same repetitive job over and over without losing performance. The chemicals inside provide a longer lasting lifecycle, such as a mix of lead, calcium, and tin, and some have a form of cell separator made of a liquid absorbent material to provide more volume and better temperature management.

It’s important to remember that a car’s battery is topped up in charge by the alternator. This is a device that is connected to the engine via a belt and uses the engine’s rotations to provide charge to the battery. No spinning, no charge, so the battery has to step up and keep the airon running, the audio pounding, and the phone on charge.

Although Stop/Start tech isn’t new, it’s not in every new car so a specific battery for one fitted with it is a must.

The Garage Miami can check out your car, diagnose any potential hiccups, and advise of the right Stop/Start battery for you. Give us a call or drop us a line via our inquiries section.

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