Guidepoint Systems Blog The Art of Battery Maintenance

By Rob JonesVP of Technology & Government BusinessWhat is one of the top five most frequently replaced items in a vehicle, is not actively diagnosed by the vehicle's on-board electronics, and typically can't be recognized by the driver as a problem until it's too late? It's the humble automotive battery. A battery lasts generally around five years, but many don't last nearly that long due to improper maintenance. This is where Guidepoint Systems comes in. Demands on automotive batteries increase every year due to heat and cold extremes from climate change, start-stop systems in newer vehicles that require much more frequent engine starts, and from demands on the battery caused by electronics that draw power continuously. Consequently, proactive maintenance is the best way to extend battery life and keep you from being stranded with a dead battery miles from home.Proactive maintenance is especially important with automotive batteries because unlike tires or brakes that wear out slowly over months or years, batteries can drain in a matter of days or weeks if not properly maintained. The top cause of battery degradation is not keeping the battery to a sufficient charge level.A battery begins discharging the second the engine is turned off due to connected electronics loads, and its own internal self-discharge. Once a battery becomes discharged, it enters a state called 'sulfation,' where lead salts form on the battery plates. This condition worsens over time, until the battery is no longer able to start the vehicle or hold a charge. Sulfation starts already at 12.4V, which is about 80% charged. Watching and keeping the battery voltage above 12.4V is the most straightforward way to extend battery life.While this is fairly simple in concept, how does a vehicle owner keep track of all this? How do you know if your battery is charged? How do you know if you need to replace the battery before it strands you at a hotel in a distant city when it doesn't start? One way is through Guidepoint Systems' active battery management service.How does this service work? Guidepoint's vehicle telematics systems monitor battery voltage continuously whether or not the vehicle is running. This data is sent over a private network to Guidepoint's cloud server where battery history is stored and algorithms are run to assess battery health and remaining life. The customer, whether a dealer, rental car provider or a vehicle owner can then select how they are notified of a problem. When caught proactively, maintenance is as simple as starting and running the vehicle for a time. A simple remote start cycle is sufficient in most cases to bring the battery to a state of charge to stop sulfation from degrading your battery's life.Guidepoint is continuously refining its battery management algorithms using data from billions of vehicle miles, from all makes and models of vehicles. These algorithms look at battery residual charge, energy in/out, resting voltage, and voltage under load.OEM feedback from Guidepoint's Battery Maintenance initiative has been very positive, and they see Guidepoint as "watching their back." ###About Rob Jones Rob brings three decades of experience directing Tier 1 automotive-supplier programs for global OEMs including Ford, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, Toyota, Nissan, and Tesla. During his career, Rob has guided engineering teams and product-line management on a wide variety of high-volume automotive electronics systems, including safety, air-bag controls, child-detection sensors, body control modules, remote keyless entry systems and commercial SPC software. Jones joined Guidepoint in 2020.