Exide batteries give us the low down on the ever increasing Stop-Start battery market that's growing faster than ever.
Part Focus: Batteries / Brands: Exide, Pro+Power, Yuasa
Start-stop is the fastest-growing segment of the automotive market. It is expected to grow at a global compound annual rate of 20% for the next several years, and will account for a majority of UK aftermarket battery sales by 2022. This new market presents workshops with both challenges and opportunities, which are easily navigated with the right guidance and support.
Start-stop has ushered in a new era of more fuel-efficient vehicles, allowing carmakers to develop more environmentally friendly cars in line with changing legislation. In the EU, for example, carmakers must reduce emissions by 40% by 2021 compared to the 2007 fleet average. The start-stop powertrain puts heavy reliance on a new breed of battery designed specially for the task. These offer power, cycle life and charge performance far exceeding those of a typical battery.
Craig Everett, Exide’s Marketing Manager – UK:
“The rise of start-stop has created exciting opportunities in the aftermarket, which we’re helping factors and workshops to address,”. “We have a market-leading range of start-stop batteries, and a full suite of programmes and strategies to help resellers maximise their effectiveness in the fast-growing segment of the aftermarket.”
Smart Labelling
Start-stop cars should only be fitted with start-stop batteries, which have been engineered to handle the frequent starting and stopping from the powertrain. Fitting a conventional battery on a start-stop car immediately voids the warranty, and leads to cost and reputation damage for the workshop. It only takes one bad experience for a customer to take their business elsewhere, especially if they believe your knowledge and skills have become out-dated.
Exide updated its labels to ensure its customers are not caught out. All its conventional batteries now contain a warning that they cannot be fitted on a vehicle with a start-stop powertrain. This means that even if a workshop accidently buys the wrong battery, it will discover the incompatibility before fitment. This is one of many ways Exide is delivering for its factors and helping them to enhance their workshops.
A New Breed of Battery
Exide has always been at the forefront of innovation in the battery market. It is credited with inventing the first start-stop AGM battery in 2004 and the first start-stop EFB battery in 2008. The technology has made impressive efficiency gains with each new generation, and is widely used as original equipment by the world’s top carmakers.
Exide’s AGM and EFB batteries offer far better performance than a standard lead-acid battery, with exceptional cycle life and charge acceptance. They are designed with high-purity leads and alloys, have first-class safety features and provide excellent coverage of the car parc.
Exide start-stop batteries are made in its next-generation manufacturing facilities in Europe. The facilities are regularly inspected by carmakers, which gives the aftermarket confidence in the quality of Exide’s manufacturing. Factors and workshops know they are buying a quality product designed to impeccable standards.
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