12v battery voltage

john p

Have others noticed how over the years the recommended charging voltage for 12 v batteries has steadily gone up?
In a 1959 GM handbook it gives charging voltage as 12.8 to 13.2v.. in a 1972 Chrysler handbook it give 13.2 to 13.5.In a 1985 Ford handbook It gives 13.6 to 14v .in a 1997 Mitsubishi Strada/Triton manual it gives 13.8 to 14.2v. Ithe manual for a 2014 Mitsubishi Strada /Triton it gives 14.3 to 14.6.. next year or year after??

CALLD

I think it's because over the years they've been adding alloys like calcium to the plates to reduce corrosion and raise the gassing voltage to reduce loss of water. Also modern batteries get cycled more and in general a deeper discharge requires a higher charge voltage to return the battery to full charge. Modern batteries also have vastly different construction methods and chemistries depending on the intended use. In the old days a battery was just a battery, today they are tailored very specifically to suit the application and of course wallet;)

waynefromnscanada

Yes, here in our cooler climate, for decades the standard automobile charging voltage was more or less 14.5 volts, but now it appears to have been shoved up to 15 or more depending on temperature, with the newer cars.

unseenone

Batteries, which have evolved and advanced over the years, to answer to the demands of modern vehicles. So have alternators, and other things, which didn't exist, such as computer controlled voltage regulation, and so on. All in all, I think if you buy top shelf gear, you end up with a better product. Over 15 volts though, can and will cause a lot of problems with communications gear and other stuff. Maybe electric vehicles?

cupcake

Its to make the batteries break faster... my neighbor is on edison batteries from the 1960's...
a battery can last 'forever' - they PUPOSLEY engneer stuff to break now... for obvious reasons... the increasing charge voltage is part of this 'planned obsolence'

--cake

waynefromnscanada

cupcake wrote: »

Its to make the batteries break faster... my neighbor is on edison batteries from the 1960's...
a battery can last 'forever' - they PUPOSLEY engneer stuff to break now... for obvious reasons... the increasing charge voltage is part of this 'planned obsolence'

--cake

Perhaps - - - but in the 70s I used to have to replace the battery in my vehicles every two or 3 years, but since the maintenance free batteries came along, they're lasting me, 8 or so years. Yes, I keep my vehicles a long time. Now if only I could remember to put the lawn tractor battery on charge a few times over Winter - - - - - -

john p

To some extent Iagree with cupcake.. In the strada it had the orig alt the battery was charged to 14.2 v now new "improved " alt and 14.6. v but on a 1500 k trip the "maintenance free " batt lost half its water?????
I have never had a maintenance free batt in a vehicle last more than 3 yrs.. only battery that ever lasted 8 yrs was a Hawker gell batt.

cupcake

john p wrote: »

To some extent Iagree with cupcake.. In the strada it had the orig alt the battery was charged to 14.2 v now new "improved " alt and 14.6. v but on a 1500 k trip the "maintenance free " batt lost half its water?????
I have never had a maintenance free batt in a vehicle last more than 3 yrs.. only battery that ever lasted 8 yrs was a Hawker gell batt.

It's called "PLANNED OBSOLECENSE".... been around since the 50's/60's...

Stuff that lasts forever will put a company out of business...

make it break and/or obsolete in a finite ammount of time and induce the customer to by a replacement/modern-version...


again, batteries can last forever - my neighbor is on those old edison iron batteries... they look like a rats nest, but they still work after 65 years...

Saburai

I've got nine years on a pair of die hard platinum 800 cca AGM's in my Jeep XJ. They pull double duty suppling the edgestar fridge, led lights and a 12v bunk heater in the roof top tent. When camping for extended periods, I deploy a global solar 62w soft folding array with a 7 amp controller. No complaints here...