Battery manufacturer Yuasa has offered some useful advice on the effect that the Covid-19 lockdown is having on vehicle batteries.

The company says a period of short, infrequent journeys or a length of time when a vehicle is not being used can cause its battery to fail rapidly. All batteries naturally lose charge over time, even if not connected and discharge faster in higher spring and summer temperatures. Alarms and electrical systems will also add to the drain, even when the vehicle is turned off.

The problem is compounded because shorter, infrequent journeys will take more charge away from the battery than the alternator is able to replace. When starting the engine, around 5% of the battery’s power is used up. Typically, regular drives of over 30 minutes are needed to recharge this. Short journeys will take out more charge than is replaced by the alternator, discharging the battery more and more and ultimately causing it to fail.

When a vehicle battery’s charge level drops below 80% and it is not recharged back above this, permanent damage will begin to occur. Over time it will drain more deeply causing failure due to internal battery damage. This may be in the form of Sulphation, where lead sulphate crystals begin to grow and harden inside the battery stopping the chemical reaction and acid stratification, where the battery’s acid becomes much stronger towards the bottom of the battery. The result of this can be that, when tested it will show a high voltage but will not be able to supply enough current to start the engine.

Yuasa also point out that such issues are service related failures and are not due to manufacturing defects. As such they are not covered by the battery warranty.

The best way to reduce the risk of damage to the battery is through regularly use of the vehicle for journeys of over half an hour. If this is not possible the battery should be charged as often as possible to keep the charge topped up. Yuasa recommend using a smart charger that features a pulse mode and can be connected permanently to the battery whilst it is fitted to the vehicle.

On some vehicles, regularly turning the engine on and letting it run for about 30 minutes can provide enough charge to keep the battery healthy. However, Yuasa do not recommend this due to environmental and vehicle security concerns.

For more information click on the video link below, or visit www.yuasa.co.uk/reducedusage