Short Life Battery

[Dannie Boy]

As far as I can work out, there are ‘flooded’ lead-acid batteries that use plates submersed in acid (these used to be the ones we topped-up with deionised water back in the day), AGM batteries described by Nereus and then their gel equivalents. Those latter models were developed for better safety and even the flooded type are now sealed and unserviceable.

In my limited experience, it’s short runs and the hefty electrical load that modern cars put on batteries. A modern car is akin to a smartphone or tablet, something you don’t really ‘shut down’ but put into ‘sleep’ mode, while still consuming small amounts of power for this and that, which soon adds-up.

My solution during years of motorbike ownership (and fair weather biking!) along with too many idle cars these days, has been investing in some trickle chargers. Common brands in the EU are Optimate and Ctek but I’m sure there are Thai equivalents. These units are plugged into the mains and then attached to the battery terminals or surrogates, providing a programmed amount of voltage and current to suit the battery’s charge state and requirements. They come with a quick plug/disconnect so it’s a snap to connect them and disconnect them and I put a reminder flag on the door handle or steering wheel (Remove before flight!) to stop me dragging one of the things, bouncing down the road like some kind of technophile’s “just married” tin can affair!

These days, solar powered trickle chargers are available and providing the vehicle (or solar panel) can be exposed to the sun, you don’t need a mains supply.

[Nereus]

These days, solar powered trickle chargers are available and providing the vehicle (or solar panel) can be exposed to the sun, you don’t need a mains supply.

Just be a bit wary of how you do this. If it is in fact a trickle charger with a built in voltage regulator, then there should not be a problem. Do NOT just connect a solar panel directly to a battery, as it can destroy the battery, and in the worst case, start a fire!