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Deep cycle batteries are the ones that are specifically designed to facilitate deep discharging. What this means is that the battery can be severely depleted before having to be charged again. Deep cycle batteries are an excellent choice for applications where frequent charging is not feasible. Due to these specs, deep cycle batteries have found a lot of applications in the modern society. From the batteries in our phones to the huge inverter batteries that we use, all of these are deep cycle batteries.
In this article, we will try to understand the proper functioning of deep cycle batteries and analyse their advantages.
What are deep cycle batteries?
Deep cycle batteries get their name from the deep cycling capacity they exhibit. UNlike car batteries, they discharge electricity slowly and thus last longer without needing recharging.
Some excellent applications for deep cycle batteries would be inverters, recreational vehicles, solar power setups and other such domains. Smaller batteries are even used in consumer electronics like laptops and mobile phones.
Advantages of Deep Cycle Battery
The various advantages of deep cycle batteries can be classified into two categories. Firstly, the advantages that exist solely due to the deep cycle property. Secondly, the battery type benefits.
There are different battery types that are common for both deep cycle batteries and cranking batteries. The most popular battery type is the AGM battery type. AGM stands for Absorbent Glass Mat technology. In AGM batteries, unlike traditional batteries, the electrolyte is present in fibre glass sheets that surround the lead plates. Hence, there is no suspended liquid in the battery. This gives the battery a lot of advantages over traditional batteries.
Firstly, AGM batteries are theoretical maintenance free. They do ot require you to change the water inside every now and then. AGM batteries also have longer lifespans than traditional batteries. Most deep cycle batteries used these days are AGM batteries.
AGM batteries also offer excellent vibration resistance. The batteries are mostly sealed and are spill-proof that makes them very easy and sophisticated for transportation. As a result they are an excellent choice for vehicles that do not require much cranking power or vehicles that run on electric motors.
Deep Cycle batteries in the automobile industry
Deep cycle batteries have found their purpose in the automobile industry. As more and more users are tending to move towards electric vehicles, the demand for research and development in the domain of deep cycle batteries has increased. Electric vehicles need longer battery lives for being able to travel long distances after a single charge. Deep cycle batteries are the perfect fit for that. It is only likely that better variants of deep cycle batteries will be available in the future tha5t are optimized for electric vehicles.
Deep cycle batteries in offgrid systems
People are gradually turning to off grid systems for domestic power needs. In such setups, batteries capable of storing energy when the primary source of energy, which in most cases is the sun, is unavailable, are of utmost importance. Such systems need enough capacity to power the home at nights or on dark and cloudy days. The power requirements in such times are usually more than bright days when the sun is out. As such, sophisticated energy storage systems are required. This result is obtained in two ways: decreasing the overall power consumption by optimising the electronics used and using high capacity batteries to store energy. For the second purpose, deep cycle batteries are extremely useful. Multiple batteries are used to make such systems that have high capacity and can take care of the overall power needs.
Other advantages
Apart from the above mentioned perks, deep cycle batteries also have some other basic advantages as listed below.
- They are available in all shapes, sizes and voltage levels. There’s a high possibility that you’ll find a battery suitable for you no matter what your application is.
- These types of batteries can be easily restored
- They are usually cheap and economical.
- They are safer to use.
These advantages make deep cycle batteries an excellent choice for a wide variety of applications as well as very versatile to use.
