However, AGM batteries won’t stay in the fringes for long. Today, 91% of the cars on the road don’t need an AGM battery. So, why are AGMs in fewer than 9% of the cars on American roads? Driving evolved. In power, speed, long life and durability, the AGM battery has standard batteries beat. The glass mats’ complete coverage makes it easier to summon more power from an AGM battery - and make it easier to recharge. Instead of the free-flowing liquid inside of a regular car battery, the AGM carries its charge in soaked sponges coating the lead plates. Ultra-thin glass fibers soak up all the electrolyte (water and sulfuric acid) into thin pillows cushioning the lead plates. They are the GM in AGM (absorbed glass-mat) batteries. That means breaking up more water molecules and building up too much gas inside. That’s when the safety mechanism kicks in, releasing some gas to reduce the pressure built up inside the battery. When you use the wrong charger for an AGM, the current must pass through anything it can. The AGM’s valve stops those gases from leaving.Įxcept if you’re overcharging the battery. Losing those water molecules means the electrolyte stays more acidic than usual - cutting into the potential strength of the chemical reaction on the plates, and ultimately shortening the life span. However, there’s always a chance some water loss can happen when electricity splits H 2O into hydrogen and oxygen gases. This process is reversed when you charge the battery. You are removing the sulfuric acid from the solution to enable a chemical reaction between the paste on the plates. When you draw power, the acid molecules move to the lead plates, leaving water and lead sulfate. Its fundamental chemistry is still based on lead, sulfuric acid and water. This might not sound like much more than the inverse of the one-way valves on coffee bean bags.īut this little trick is the secret to an AGM’s long life. The superpowers of an AGM battery come from two novel additions to Planté’s invention and a host of small design changes that fundamentally expand what car batteries can do.įirst, a valve prevents evaporated water from leaving the battery case. They’re also listed as spill-proof, meaning the regulations are more relaxed about transporting them by air or by road. When it does, the alternator recharges the battery - and keeps all the electrical components running in the car.īecause of their absorbed mats, AGMs withstand shaking and vibration better than typical batteries. Starting your engine depletes your battery only a small amount before the alternator takes over. That’s more than three times the starts you’ll get out of a conventional battery.Īnd AGMs recharge faster than typical batteries. Over the course of their lifespan, AGM batteries can start an engine more than 60,000 times. Special valves protecting the battery's lifespan.Why? What’s the big difference between AGMs and a standard, flooded battery? What’s the difference between an AGM and a regular car battery?ĪGM car batteries have unbeatable advantages over standard, flooded batteries: Now, they’re showing up in everyday cars and trucks. Their use expanded over the decades to include motorcycles, military, aircraft, submarines and power banks for offices. Enter the absorbed glass-mat (AGM) battery.ĭeveloped in the late 1970s, AGM batteries mostly served as backup power for telephone boxes and early computer rooms. However, a standard, flooded battery can’t run a light bulb for more than a couple hours in one stretch. Lead-in-acid batteries used to fit the bill for cars because they can throw a lot of electricity into a starter in a short burst. Here’s the problem: Planté’s lead-acid battery can’t handle all those power needs for long. Bluetooth-enabled sound systems to play music from your smartphone (which you barely use for calls anymore. Satellite-connected radio and wireless-fidelity internet connections. Backup cameras with calculated guidance routes. Remote starting, even phone-operated starting. Vehicles capable of fuel economy fuel economy in the high 20s to mid-30s. Autonomous driving. Artificial intelligence-assisted driving. What sparked the next generation of car batteries?ĭriving in 2019 just isn’t the same experience it was in 1969. He might be surprised how little the lead-acid battery changed in 160 years.īecause everything else has. Some are even sealed so you don’t need to add water.ĭespite these tiny developments in across a century and a half, French physicist Gaston Planté could step out of a time machine and still recognize his invention in 92.4% of the US automotive market. It’s still thin lead plates, sulfuric acid and water (plus a durable, polypropylene case.) Small tweaks and adjustments played out over the years. Since it was invented in 1859, the same 160-year-old technology still starts your car and nearly every car around the world, with minor changes here and there. The lead-acid battery hasn’t changed much in 160 years.
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