Commercial OEMs choosing Varta ProMotive AGM

Clarios, a global market leader in advanced energy storage solutions has a long history of working with vehicle manufacturers to develop best-in-class batteries. In order to ensure the full functionality and readiness of the latest generation trucks, the Varta ProMotive AGM battery was conceived in close collaboration with Europe’s leading commercial vehicle manufacturers.

These days, conventional batteries have a hard time keeping up with the large amount of energy-draining electrical functions that modern trucks are equipped with. Trucks are on the road for longer which means more overnight stays in the cabin – with increased expectations regarding to comfort. Refrigerators, microwaves, coffee machines and entertainment electronics lead to deeply discharged batteries after the rest periods.

On top of that , there is an increasing number of EU legislations to be met. Advanced fuel saving technologies like coasting/sailing and passive boost are on the rise in order to reduce CO2-emissions and overall consumption. Together with AdBlue tanks taking up additional space, this often makes an end of frame installation close to the rear axle necessary, subjecting the battery to increased vibrations. High robustness and vibration resistance are therefore required.

The manufacturer’s choice
“Some of the biggest manufacturers therefore turned to us with a request to collaborate on the development of a solution. That’s how the Varta ProMotive AGM came into being”, explained Thorsten Werle, engineering design lead heavy duty at Clarios EMEA.

Varta is the market and technology leading brand in the field of commercial vehicle and car batteries. The ProMotive AGM combines the know-how from both product lines and draws on 20 years of experience in producing advanced AGM batteries.

With an Original Equipment market share of 65 per cent in the European heavy duty battery business, Varta is the manufacturer’s choice when it comes to fitting the best battery technology available. The Varta ProMotive AGM has passed both lab and road tests and fulfils all four key requirements to be labelled an original spare part:

• Cold cranking power
• Cycling performance & deep discharge capabilities
• Vibration resistance
• Charge acceptance

“Long-term trials have confirmed that the Varta ProMotive AGM lives up to the promises we made about it. Major manufacturers have approved the battery and are integrating the AGM as Original Equipment into their latest generation of heavy commercial vehicles,” added Werle.

What is the Varta ProMotive AGM?
Enhanced Flooded Batteries (EFB) are now becoming the norm on modern trucks, with conventional flooded batteries not having the necessary output to power today’s commercial vehicles. Whilst the EFB provides an upgrade to a standard flooded battery, there was still a need from OEMs for more power and deep cycling ability; this is where the AGM comes in.

The Varta ProMotive AGM is Europe’s first AGM battery for commercial vehicles. AGM stands for Absorbent Glass Mat. The name-giving fleece absorbs the battery acid and increases cycle stability. This prevents loss of capacity due to acid stratification, the main cause of battery failure in modern trucks.

The advantage: The battery has a lifetime expectancy of two years and longer. To reach a comparable lifetime with a regular battery would result in its drop of capacity down to 20 per cent. Due to the special design of the Varta ProMotive AGM however, up to 80 per cent of the specified capacity can be utilised without significantly compromising cycle lifetime.

It provides the ideal power supply for vehicles equipped with comfort and safety functions and advanced fuel- saving features such as coasting/sailing. AdBlue tanks and larger fuel tanks are displacing batteries towards the rear end of commercial vehicles. In this position, they have to be able to withstand increased vibrations in order to prevent premature failure. The Varta ProMotive AGM addresses this challenge with its rugged casing and special fixations.

Overall shorter driving times and an increased number of overnight stays make the Varta ProMotive AGM’s enhanced charge acceptance and larger number of cycles an indispensable asset in modern logistics. With this combination of features the Varta ProMotive AGM ensures cost-effective, safe and comfortable driving. For the first time it is possible to take advantage of the full potential of commercial vehicles with an extended battery life.

A battery that’s good for business
Fleet managers of today expect reliability from their vehicles as well as from their choice of spare parts. They put their trust in leading technologies and brands to ensure minimum risk of downtimes and constant optimisation of their fleet’s total costs of ownership (TCO).

According to Werle the Varta ProMotive AGM with its outstanding performance is providing a unique value now and in the years to come: “If you already have a lot of well-equipped trucks, it’s worth upgrading them to our AGM battery,” he said. “It gives drivers and fleet operators additional security against battery failures, reduces overall operating costs and ensures satisfied customers for the truck manufacturers. The Varta ProMotive AGM is absolutely future-proof and still has a lot of free capacity available for additional energy consumers.”

Varta Fleet Program: Direct contact to the manufacturer
The increasing complexity of modern trucks represents a major challenge for trucking companies. To ensure that fleets are best equipped to cope with these, Varta has not just developed a reliable, future-ready product in the form of the AGM battery, but also offers the corresponding service with its Varta Fleet Program. This program’s main feature is that it offers fleet managers direct contact to the manufacturer.

By registering free-of-charge on the website www.varta-automotive.com/fleet, members will receive custom advice relating to their fleet, strategic purchase recommendations, support on battery management-related questions, analysis and optimisation options for battery performance and a great deal more.