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Julian
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From 2012, new EU regulations will not only reduce maximum levels of vehicle CO2 emissions across Europe to 130 g/km, but will also increase the demands on vehicle batteries. That’s because meeting this target is going to take more than just improved engine management – innovative battery technologies are absolutely key. Carmakers have not waited until now to meet these demands, they have been introducing the new technologies for a number of years in anticipation.
This makes the issue of hybrid technology more relevant than ever before. Car manufacturers use the term hybrid to emphasise the eco-friendly characteristics of their vehicles. There are various types of hybrid technology: Of these, Start-Stop is set to become the most important. Automatic Start-Stop vehicles are forecast to represent 70% of all vehicles produced in Europe by 2015. We already have millions of cars on our roads with Start-Stop technology. VW call their technology Blue Motion while BMW call it Efficient Dynamics, all other producers are building Start-Stop although they do not all have a special label. The technology they use is essentially the same.
With Start-Stop vehicles, the engine is switched off during short stops – for instance at traffic lights – in order to save fuel and reduce CO2 emissions by approximately 5 to 10%. But that is not all. Providing the batteries state of charge is sufficient, the alternator (this is what charges the battery) is also switched off. This means that the battery is now powering all electrical functions including braking, steering, climate control, safety systems, lights, entertainment to name a few.
Vehicles with automatic Start-Stop technology require specific Start-Stop batteries. The wrong battery not only impairs the Start-Stop function with environmental consequences, including an increase in fuel consumption of around 12%, but also reduces the service life of the battery itself dramatically. Tests have shown that conventional flooded batteries lose between 7 and 16% of their available capacity after just one week of being used in a Start-Stop vehicle. This means fitting the wrong battery could result in that battery failing (or being worn out) in two months.
You can identify the battery technology fitted to your car by looking for the following words on its label, VRLA or AGM or both or EFB. Also, as a rule of thumb, if your car is Stop-Start, you have one of these batteries and must use a similar battery at replacement time.
The Battery Guys are ready for this change, already stocking and supplying these revolutionary batteries to their customers. Should you wish to know more, or are unsure about what battery to order, contact us by email on info@thebatteryguys.co.uk or telephone us on 0845 302 3044
Happy motoring
Julian
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We have just endured one of the coldest winters on record. As with many car components, batteries do not perform at their best when cold. In fact, at zero, a battery can only provide 65% of the cold start performance it can provide at + 15c. If the battery is old and tired, and or not fully charged, then the performance drop is even greater. This is why batteries fail in cold conditions.
The weather also highlights how car batteries will have a much tougher time in the future, unless the correct technology is used when replacing a battery. Micro-hybrid technologies (such as stop-start, brake energy regeneration and alternator passive boost) is having a profound effect on the battery market.
It is expected that by 2015 65% of all new cars sold will be stop start. In a micro-hybrid system, the battery moves from its traditional role as a starter battery to an integral part of the vehicle. It needs to maintain all the electrical systems in the car when it is switched off, while coping with intermittent charging and deep cycling.
As ever, never choose a battery on price, first ensure the replacement battery is of the same technology and specification as the original, then consider price.
Types of Battery, News - Just In
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Just click on the link below or paste it into your browser to see a great short film on how a car battery works- great education!
Just click on the link below or paste it into your browser to see a great short film on how a car battery works- great education!
There is a huge range of telecoms services available to businesses in the UK - so much so that choosing the right service can be a stressful process. It pays to do your homework before choosing an 08 number provider.
In this article we will concentrate on the 08 range allocated by OFCOM and look at the features and benefits of 0800, 0844 and 0845 numbers. All of the 08 range give businesses a national presence which means a customer would not be putting off calling the business because it was in a particular location. The 08 range are sold by a number of OFCOM authorised telecoms resellers such as DBS
0800 numbers
Sometimes referred to as freephone numbers. 0800 numbers are perhaps the most commonly recognised product in the 08 range. 0800 numbers are free to call from a standard BT landline so the appeal to customers is great for the simple reason that they don’t have to pay for the call
0845 numbers
These numbers have a “low call” tariff which is typically 3-5 pence each minute. These charges are on a par with making a local call for most customers - in other words call charges are not a deterrent. The owner of an 0845 usually has no call charges – it’s free for them to receive calls. 0845 numbers are therefore useful in keeping costs down.
0844 numbers
The 0844 range have higher call charges than 0845. In fact most 0844 number owners receive a rebate on incoming calls of around 1 penny per minute. Call charges when dialling an 0844 number are typically around the 5p per minute mark.
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There is a huge range of telecoms services available to businesses in the UK - so much so that choosing the right service can be a stressful process. It pays to do your homework before choosing an 08 number provider.
In this article we will concentrate on the 08 range allocated by OFCOM and look at the features and benefits of 0800, 0844 and 0845 numbers. All of the 08 range give businesses a national presence which means a customer would not be putting off calling the business because it was in a particular location. The 08 range are sold by a number of OFCOM authorised telecoms resellers such as DBS
0800 numbers
Sometimes referred to as freephone numbers. 0800 numbers are perhaps the most commonly recognised product in the 08 range. 0800 numbers are free to call from a standard BT landline so the appeal to customers is great for the simple reason that they don’t have to pay for the call
0845 numbers
These numbers have a “low call” tariff which is typically 3-5 pence each minute. These charges are on a par with making a local call for most customers - in other words call charges are not a deterrent. The owner of an 0845 usually has no call charges – it’s free for them to receive calls. 0845 numbers are therefore useful in keeping costs down.
0844 numbers
The 0844 range have higher call charges than 0845. In fact most 0844 number owners receive a rebate on incoming calls of around 1 penny per minute. Call charges when dialling an 0844 number are typically around the 5p per minute mark.
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