The Science of Automotive Battery Charging - And Its Future

Earlier this year, we reported on CTEK's future of automotive charging where you will no longer need leads or a physical connection to a charger. Soon, you will just park your vehicle close to the charger and it will charge the battery remotely.

CTEK is a high-end manufacturer of battery chargers and one of the companies leading the way in remote battery charging. It's also a leading supplier to OEMs around the world. So if you buy a charger from Porsche, Bentley, Ferrari, etc., chances are it's made by CTEK.

CTEK has a number of different charging technologies available on the aftermarket, and they recently shared with us some key terms for its patented 8-step charging, helping us to understand why modern chargers like theirs work so well.

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8-Step Charging

One of the reasons why CTEK's chargers work so efficiently is its 8-step charging, available on a number of its models. It's a complex, micro-processor controlled process that ensures the lead-acid battery is always at optimum charge (lithium batteries also have an 8-step process, but it’s slightly different and requires a different charger.)

Desulphation

This process starts when the charger is plugged in and connected to the battery. The first safeguard is that its circuitry ensures you can’t short-out the battery, nor can you connect the terminals to the wrong leads thanks to keyed connectors.

Once connected, the first step is to examine the battery performance, which will be compromised if the battery has sat for a long time. In this case, the battery plates can get sulphates on the surfaces, which seal them and prevent the battery from taking a full charge. So CTEK has technology that “knocks” on the sulphates, causing them to crack and break down. This process of desulphation is unique and it's the first step in battery optimization and charging.

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Soft Start

The charger then uses a small current to start the charging process, but it starts gradually in order to build the charge and ensure the battery is in peak condition.

Bulk Charge

It then switches to the main charging cycle, which will charge the battery up to 80 percent – this is something every charger on the market can do, except the cheaper ones can overcharge and boil the acid, causing long term damage.

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Absorption

Once the bulk charge is completed, the CTEK unit reduces the amps slowly but continues charging to “top it off,” ensuring it has 100 percent charge. To avoid any damages from occurring, it constantly monitors it's state.