Lead Acid Battery Everything You Need To Know

- Fuzz Townshend

The humble car battery is often overlooked and regularly neglected, until it’s too late. Only then are its virtues appreciated. In the earlier days of the motor car, the battery’s duties were relatively humble, providing a reservoir of electrical power for basic lighting equipment and the ignition circuit although, in the latter case, the magneto provided self-contained spark generation. Starting power was down to the deft swing of a cranking handle, so the battery had a relatively easy life. 

However, the motor industry quickly began to add such trinkets as electric start facilities, more powerful lighting and heaters with electrically powered fan motors. All of these required some form of stable electrical supply and so the battery became increasingly important.

Lead-acid batteries had been in existence for quite some time, with reasonable speed of chargeability, relatively long life and stability chief among their advantages. The dynamo was tasked with the job of keeping the battery charged, so as long as the car was bowling along at a decent lick without too many of the electrical trinkets being employed at the same time, battery charge could be maintained at a satisfactory level.