“Glamping” or “Boondocking” This Season: Help Ensure a Safe, Dependable and Convenient RV Excursion with ODYSSEY® Batteries

A Recreational Vehicle (RV) is a unique mode of automotive travel that includes onboard living quarters that enables you to visit remote locations. This type of vehicle application requires power sources for not only turning over the engine, but also supporting a variety of house loads for added convenience. Also known as hotel loads, house loads include the amenities that make this mode of transportation “above and beyond” what you would find in a car or small automobile, including electronic devices (think TV and entertainment centers), appliances and climate control (ie. refrigerators, heat/AC and onboard bathroom/shower), as well as safety and security equipment, such as rear-view cameras, electric locks and communications systems. Some RVs have one battery for starting and another for house loads, but many are using cost-effective and dependable, dual purpose batteries, which offer the convenience of performing both functions in one battery.

Most dual-purpose batteries are not the conventional flooded lead acid, or wet-cell battery, type – which have been around for several decades and still provide a reliable source of power for some applications – but rather, are Absorbed Glass Mat (AGM) design. One big differentiation is AGM batteries are sealed, which eliminates most of the maintenance requirements of traditional battery designs especially checking and filling with distilled water. This also means they are not prone to spillage or leakage. In AGM batteries, the plates are separated with compressed fiberglass that absorbs the electrolyte and improves the batteries shock- and vibration-resistance. All of this adds up to a battery that provides greater reliability than conventional flooded lead acid batteries. This gives RV owners the confidence to travel, especially to remote locations with harsh road conditions that are far from power grid access and where road assistance is not readily available.

While some travelers depend on their RVs every day, many voyagers use RVs on a seasonal basis, so it is important to use a battery that will operate even after being idle during the off season. If the RV’s engine will remain idle for more than a few weeks, it is best to use a battery that has a slow discharge rate and can be recharged quickly.

A battery that meets an RV’s demand to be dual purpose, dependable and easily recommissioned is the ODYSSEY^® Dual Purpose RV battery. An AGM battery manufactured with proprietary Thin Plate Pure Lead (TPPL) technology, the ODYSSEY^® battery provides deep-cycle reserve power (rated at 400 charge/discharge cycles to 80 percent Depth of Discharge (DOD)) and plenty of cranking capacity to start the engine. It features thin flat plates made of pure lead, and not lead-calcium or lead-antimony alloy like many conventional flooded lead acid batteries. Pure lead plates can be made thinner, so more of them fit in the battery for greater active surface area, which offers twice as much power and triple the life as conventional flooded lead acid batteries. Pure lead plates also eliminate the risk of galvanic grid corrosion that affect other batteries made with alloy plates.

With up to a 10-year service life, ODYSSEY^® Dual Purpose RV batteries also offer slower self-discharge rates and are capable of 100 percent recharge in as little as four hours. Backed by an industry-leading warranty, it can be stored for two years at 77°F (25°C). It can also perform in extreme temperatures as low as
-40°F (-40°C) to as high as 176°F (80°C).

To follow the latest ODYSSEY^® battery news, visit our website at www.odysseybattery.com or connect with us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook by using the hashtag #MYODYSSEY.

 ABOUT ENERSYS^®

EnerSys, the global leader in stored energy solutions for industrial applications, manufactures and distributes energy systems solutions and motive power batteries, specialty batteries, battery chargers, power equipment, battery accessories and outdoor equipment enclosure solutions to customers worldwide. Energy Systems, which combine enclosures, power conversion, power distribution and energy storage, are used in the telecommunication, broadband and utility industries, uninterruptible power supplies and numerous applications. Motive power batteries and chargers are utilized in electric forklift trucks and other industrial electric powered vehicles requiring stored energy solutions. Specialty batteries are used in aerospace and defense applications, large over-the-road trucks, premium automotive, medical and security systems applications. EnerSys also provides aftermarket and customer support services to its customers in over 100 countries through its sales and manufacturing locations around the world. With the NorthStar acquisition, EnerSys has solidified its position as the market leader for premium Thin Plate Pure Lead batteries, which are sold across all three lines of business. More information regarding EnerSys can be found at www.enersys.com.

Sustainability

Sustainability at EnerSys is about more than just the benefits and impacts of our products. Our commitment to sustainability encompasses many important environmental, social and governance issues. Sustainability is a fundamental part of how we manage our own operations. Minimizing our environmental footprint is a priority. Sustainability is our commitment to our employees, our customers and the communities we serve. Our products facilitate positive environmental, social and economic impacts around the world. To learn more visit: https://www.enersys.com/en/about-us/sustainability/.