It’s the annual Charge Your Car Day on October 5 and a great reminder for every motorist of the importance of maintaining the health of the heart of your car – its battery. 

In New Zealand, the average age of a vehicle is 14.3 years, older than vehicles in equivalent markets such as the USA, Australia and Canada.

A new study found that the rising cost of living has severely impacted the volume of driving with 81% of New Zealanders driving less due to the high cost of petrol and diesel. With an older vehicle car park and less driving, the rate of battery breakdowns in New Zealand is set to rise. 

Plus, working from home, means less daily work commute, increasing the rate of battery-related breakdowns as Kiwis aren’t using their cars every day.  

Charge Your Car Day was created to educate drivers on the role battery charging plays on battery health and the steps we can take to support the humble-yet-hardworking car battery. By ensuring that our car battery is functioning correctly we can extend its life by up to three times and have a better running vehicle saving us both time and money. 

Battery care also applies to new energy vehicle owners who of course rely entirely on their battery. 

While electric vehicles need to ‘Always Be Charging’ it’s important that you set a charge limit of 80-90% to stop the degradation of the lithium-ion battery, most battery electric vehicles have this capability. 

Plug-In Hybrid owners also have a battery charging requirement with many neglecting the 12V that runs important accessories like the heating and air conditioning. Read your car manual and see if you can charge your PHEV 12V battery separately. 

The 12V battery is charged off the car’s internal DC-DC system from the larger battery and will only charge to 100 percent when connected to a battery charger which can also extend battery life by up to three times. 

CTEK is the leading global brand in battery charging solutions, most specifically vehicle charging, and its Regional Sales Manager for APAC, Paul Oddy, says, “Our car is the most important technologically advanced piece of equipment that we interact with every day”. “Investing in a battery charger and maintainer is essential to ensure the safe and reliable functioning of your car. It can often prove more cost effective too and ensures that your car will start every time.”

Top tips for a healthy car battery

Regular battery charging

Being aware of the strain on the car battery of new car technology, changes in weather patterns and short journeys enables us to appreciate the importance of battery charging. The number one cause of breakdowns is battery failure. Regular charging can ensure sustained performance and increased life helping to reduce emissions, save money and ensure reliability. 

Get into a routine
Experts recommend charging at least once a month to maintain optimum battery health. It is important to connect the battery charger to the vehicle and let it do its work quickly and effectively, ensuring it has completed a full cycle. It is also important to remember that a Plug-In Hybrid (PHEV) has a 12V battery too. It will only charge to 80% capacity while you’re driving around to bring it to 100% you’ll need a battery charger. 

The ABC of EVs
Electric vehicle batteries should not be charged to 100%, instead you can set a charge limit of 80-90% on your battery electric vehicle as this stops the lithium-ion battery completing too many full cycles. Once this limit is set the rule for electric vehicles is ABC or in other words, ‘Always Be Charging’ as you can do this without worrying about degrading the battery. The optimum condition for a lithium-ion battery is maintaining charge between 20-80% with a 100% charge only recommended for longer journeys.

A healthy battery is a happy battery
It won’t matter how often you charge your battery if it is not working correctly. Look for a battery charger that has a built-in function that performs maintenance while charging. It can troubleshoot any issues with the inner workings of the car battery so that you can have peace of mind that your battery is always operating at optimum capacity.

The temperature needs to be just right, no extremes
The weather has a significant impact on battery performance. In cold conditions when the temperature reaches freezing, it can lose as much as 35% of its performance and up to 50% if the conditions are even colder. Some electric vehicles have a function that pre-heats the battery giving the car more power, and better range and reducing damage to the battery in cold conditions. Hot weather can cause the battery to evaporate its fluids.

Correct recharging methods
Commonly accepted methods for recharging can damage battery health. Methods like jumper leads, push starting a manual car, or going for a drive can charge the battery too quickly causing damage. The best advice is to be proactive and establish a regular car charging routine to ensure great battery health.