There are also specialised maintenance chargers, which automatically charge and discharge your car battery to extend its lifespan and maintain it in optimal condition as long as possible.
Charging voltage
- 6 V - used by some motorcycle batteries.
- 12 V - used by the vast majority of car batteries and in some motorcycles.
- 24 V - specialised car battery models, such as certain trucks.
Compatible battery types
Most automatic chargers (controlled by a processor) can charge all battery types. Nevertheless, we still recommend to check if the battery charger is compatible with your battery type before buying.
- AGM - the latest battery type, where the electrolyte is suspended in a glass mat. You can frequently find them in modern cars with the start-stop system.
- Gel - similar to the AGM type, except the electrolyte is suspended in silicon gel. The gel type includes VRLA batteries and some sealed lead-acid batteries.
- Lead - conventional batteries that can be found in older cars. If they aren’t maintenance-free, they require an occasional check-up and electrolyte replenishing.
- MF - a type of AGM batteries.
- VRLA - a gel battery type.
Other parameters
- Max. charging current - determines the speed at which the charger recharges the battery. Keep in mind that the maximum charging current is approximately one tenth of the battery capacity (e.g. 10 A for a battery with a 100 Ah capacity).
- Max. battery charging capacity - the effective maximum battery capacity for the charger (recharging doesn’t take very long).
- Trickle - activates after charging is complete. The charger supplies only a very small current, so there is no overcharging. Special maintenance chargers automatically charge and discharge the battery to keep it in optimum condition and prolong its service life.
- Battery activation - removes sulfation, which occurs due to incorrect charging current regulation or the loss of electrolyte if it isn’t replenished in a timely manner.
- Battery rescue - used to kickstart fully discharged batteries via high-voltage pulses. It is used in cases where the battery voltage has dropped below the level at which it can be normally recharged.
- Solar charging - recharging is powered by solar cells that run on solar radiation.
