Battery X-Tender
Most vehicles use a lead acid starter battery. When you start the engine, the starter motor draws a significant current to turn the engine over. Once the engine starts, the alternator dumps substantial amps back into the battery to restore the charge — between parasitic losses (keep alive memory for the clock, computer, etc.) and the charge capacity lost during starting. Both of these conditions shorten battery life.
Lead acid “wet cell” batteries have electrical plates that make up the individual cells. Each cell puts out a little over 2 volts. There are 6 such cells in a typical 12 volt car/truck battery. One side of each plate is coated with lead while the other side is coated with a lead oxide “sponge”. The electrolyte is sulphuric acid and pure water. In a brand new fully charged battery, that is all you have: plates coated with lead and lead oxide, sulphuric acid, and water.
Getting electricity out of a battery is an electro-chemical reaction. In the case of the battery in your car, the lead reacts with the sulphuric acid and creates lead sulphate. Simultaneously, the lead oxide reacts to form lead sulphate. This lead sulphate “electroplates” to both sides of the lead plates, reducng further chemical reactions, and thus electricity flow. Charging this battery converts the lead sulphate back into lead, lead oxide and sulphuric acid.
Batteries “age” when the charge cycle fails to convert all of the lead sulphate back into lead and sulphuric acid. Over time, a typical battery will form a crystalized coating of lead sulphate on the plates, which reduces the battery’s overall capacity. Eventually, some of this crystalized lead sulphate will break loose from the plate and fall to the bottom of the battery. Unfortunately, this process is not reversible! If enough lead sulphate falls to the bottom, it begins to short out between cells. This is when folks realze they need a new battery.
The Battery X-Tender is based on revolutionary Super Cap technology. It is placed electrically in parallel with your lead acid battery. Super Caps have the ability to give energy RIGHT NOW, and absorb it just as readily. Batteries have internal resistance, and are slower to react. Electricity, being lazy like water, will choose the path of least resistance — the Super Caps. This means that when you hit the starter, it’s the Super Caps starting the engine. When the alternator starts dumping energy back into the system, the Super Caps absorb the rush. The battery experiences far less sulphation this way, and thus lasts longer.
Although it would sound reasonable to just slap a couple of Super Caps on your battery, we found that over time, things go awry. The Battery X-Tender incorporates a software based controller that monitors the State of Charge (SoC) and State of Health (SoH) of each Super Cap, and takes remedial action to preserve their health and life span. It also diverts current flow between the battery and Battery X-Tender for the health and longevity of both. We’ve seen 2.3 times the rated life in R&D (8 years to the month on a 42 month battery).