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SUPPLY BATTERIES FOR MARINE AND LEISURE

Detailed aftermarket facts and figures available on pages 56/57

*Source: European Caravan Federation (2018) & International Boat Industry (2015)

IN EUROPE THERE ARE...

5.4 MILLION leisure vehicles*

5.7 MILLION recreational boats*

A SIGNIFICANT MARKET

Choosing the right supply battery is subject to more variables than with a starter battery. A car battery, for example, is relatively straightforward, simply matching the battery specification to the correct car model, engine and year. Supply batteries are not defined by the vehicle or vessel itself, but by how the owner uses his on-board power supply. Basically, the amount of electrical energy consumed and the length of periods away from a recharging point determine the right choice. Not having enough stored energy is inconvenient at best. In the case of a boat at sea, it could be life-threatening if navigation and communication systems are unavailable.

Starter batteries are made with thinner plates allowing more plates to be fitted in each cell. This is necessary to deliver better Cold Cranking Amperes (CCA) performances, essential for quick bursts of high energy to crank the engine. Supply batteries are designed with thicker plates that provide a deeper and longer discharge. To use a sporting analogy, think of the starter battery as a sprinter and the supply battery as a marathon runner.

Exide Technologies has a well-established reputation in the marine and leisure markets. As an OE manufacturer, the company also supplies a wide range of quality aftermarket batteries to meet individual users needs. Exide Dual and Dual AGM are multi-function batteries that support engine cranking

and supply-power requirements. Whilst Exide Dual is a very popular choice for light to medium users, the AGM variant offers the fastest recharge of any supply battery type. Exide s Equipment GEL is the ultimate supply battery, offering excellent power to weight efficiency and, as a result, the best fuel efficiency. Lastly, the new Equipment Li-Ion battery, that offers super fast recharge (battery can be fully recharged in about 2 hours), very low self discharge and up to 50% lower weight compared to standard batteries.

A unique advantage of Exide supply batteries to resellers and end-users is the specification and labelling in Wh (watt-hours) rather than the Ah (amp-hours) traditionally favoured by other manufacturers. This greatly simplifies calculation of the on- board electrical equipment and its typical daily usage. For example, a 25 watt lamp switched on for 4 hours equals 100Wh. By adding up the watt-hours of all the devices used between recharging, and adding a recommended safety margin of 20%, it is quite easy to find the right combination of one or more Exide batteries to meet your power needs. See the example shown in the Supply needs calculator on the next page to understand how it works.

Supply batteries are sometimes referred to as deep-cycle batteries or leisure/multi-fit batteries. They are commonly used in motorhomes, caravans and boats to provide stored electricity in remote locations without access to a campsite s or marina s main power connection.