The promised BEST battery testing service has arrived. We’re calling it BEST Battery Reviews (BBR).
Says Mike McDonagh, BEST magazine’s technical editor, who’ll be heading up the service: “How practical is reading the advertising blurb of battery producers? Of what relevance are the endless tables of data found in manufacturers catalogues? How do you know how this battery will stand up in your application— under real conditions outside of IEC, JIS or ANSI standards? And what else are you looking for in a battery or charger which is not found in manufacturers’ data?”
Now we can answer all of your questions in an unbiased way. Energy Storage Publishing will be evaluating batteries and chargers in the real world, with real end users. Mike McDonagh and Mark Rigby, of UK Powertech, are working together to evaluate and monitor batteries and chargers, in a proper laboratory.
With 70 years worth of battery experience between them and using properly-calibrated test equipment and (with accredited laboratory access) Mike and Mark, through BBR, will establish the battery baseline characteristics and end user installations to monitor in-service performance.
BBR will provide a comprehensive review of battery types and chargers in the majority of applications. From powering a caravan to diesel starting or hybrid solar power. “There is a lot more to a battery’s suitability than its catalogue data,” says McDonagh.
“Apart from the usual capacity and CCA data, we will be looking for energy efficiency, charge acceptance, internal resistance, running costs not forgetting ease of installation and maintenance in different applications.”
McDonagh says: “This is of interest to battery and charger manufacturers as vital feedback for their products— as well as battery distributors and their customers, when matching battery characteristics against applications.”
“We’ll be taking products bought from the shelf, supplied by manufacturers and distributors or those in existing installations. We will be happy to discuss this with potential participants.”
This evaluation process will be extended to different battery chemistries wherever possible and safe to do so, McDonagh says.
Since it places a heavy emphasis on the end user, the experience of companies and individuals will be integral to obtaining a fair and balanced perspective of batteries and chargers under evaluation. Any companies wishing to participate in any capacity, as either a supplier or user, are welcome to contact McDonagh. E-mail him at mike@energystorage publishing.com.
BEST Magazine publisher and editor Gerry Woolf said the BBR initiative “represents a unique opportunity for battery agents as well as manufacturers to not only understand how their products are meeting market demand— but also to get valuable market research or publicity from both customers and industry experts”. Resources are limited so the first few contacts only will be dealt with in the Summer issue of BEST Magazine.
