This SAE Standard applies to lead-acid 12 V heavy-duty storage batteries as described in SAE J537 and SAE J930 for uses in starting, lighting and ignition (SLI) applications on motor vehicles and/or off-road machines. These applications have some of the following characteristics:
- a High levels of power are required to start the vehicle’s internal combustion engine. The need to supply this power limits the maximum depth of discharge to a fraction of the total capacity of the battery. The battery must be maintained at a charge level sufficient to perform this primary function by vehicle’s voltage-regulated charging system.
- b The vehicle’s engine powers a voltage regulated charging system that limits the charging voltage when spinning at sufficient speed and when total loads do not exceed its output limits.
- c The battery is subject to deeper discharging than a typical automotive application as a result of the following conditions:
- High daily hours of use
- High numbers of starts per day
- Electrical loads often exceeding charging system output (at idle)
Batteries will be classified into two types for this life test. Type 1 applies to BCI group sizes typically with reserve capacity (RC) rating of 250 minutes or less. Type 2 applies to larger batteries typically with reserve capacity greater than 250 minutes.
