Quote: Originally posted by trog100 on 23/5/2018
ps.. a 100 amp hour battery is only a 100 amp hour battery when its new.. with use they wear out and the capacity drops.. what was 100 becomes 90 80 70 60 50 until a point is reached when the battery is next to useless.. its a shame people dont seem to be aware of this simple fact.. :)
Post last edited on 23/05/2018 20:24:09
It's for that simple fact that I would be wary of buying an electric car, even if I had the money which I don't. But electric cars is a story that has been much covered on another thread.
Electric car batteries are a completely different technology.
The reason lead acid batteries lose capacity is the reaction between the lead and the sulphuric acid produces lead sulphate which builds up between the plates, reducing the efficiency.
A new 100AH lead acid battery will be flat long before all 100AH has been used, if it is left discharged for a period of time, or discharged beyond its design it may not be possible to recharge it
Discounted Insurance Quotes for UKCampsite.co.uk visitors! Up to 12.5% off!
Quote: Originally posted by Andy Higham on 24/5/2018
Electric car batteries are a completely different technology.
The reason lead acid batteries lose capacity is the reaction between the lead and the sulphuric acid produces lead sulphate which builds up between the plates, reducing the efficiency.
A new 100AH lead acid battery will be flat long before all 100AH has been used, if it is left discharged for a period of time, or discharged beyond its design it may not be possible to recharge it
Whilst that is true, all batteries lose capacity over time as far as I know. It certainly applies to power tool batteries, and I have 3 of them in my shed to which this has happened. I very much doubt whether a 3 year old electric car battery would have anything like the capacity it had when the vehicle rolled off the production line. Particularly if it had been subjected to many fast-charges.
what happens to a lead acid battery is fairly simple..
material moves from the plates to the electrolyte and then back again during the charge or discharged process..
some of this material dosnt make the trip it ends up on the bottom of the cells.. a hard sulphate coating also builds up on the plates rendering them less effective over time or with use.. they have less surface area to work with..
if a battery is left flat with zero voltage in it for several weeks even a brand new battery will be ruined and refuse to take a charge ever again.. alarms or anything else that puts a slow permanent drain on the battery will do this..
in simple terms they wear out just like a car tyre wears out.. the wear takes place in the form of diminishing capacity.. as i said earlier 100 becomes 90 80 70 60 50 and so on down..
officially a battery should be considered worn out (and replaced) when it gets to %50 of its as new capacity.. having said that most people being totally unaware of whats going on just keep using them until they can be used no more.. :)
the deeper (and more often) they get cycled the quicker they wear out.. a car starter battery for example is considered a shallow cycle battery.. a leisure battery will take deeper cycles but the same principle still applies..
After reading the OPs post he hasnt said if he is hooked up to the mains or just using the battery to power every thing? I can see him back here if he is hooked up to the mains.
Thank you for making it clear but,we do get people who post a problem eg like yours and,halfway through a number of posts they tell us some thing else they should have mentioned at the start.