It used to be that you wouldn’t think much about replacing a car battery. Many people remember that car batteries used to last a long time. Car batteries lasting 5 to 7 years was common. Today many people are thinking that car batteries just don’t last as much as they used to and they’re right. For those who were wondering, it’s true, car batteries don’t last as long as they used to and there are reasons for it.
Drivers are complaining that the battery hardly outlasts their new car’s warranty and they’re right. Modern car batteries have a shorter lifespan. But there are reasons why this is the case. Modern cars put heavier demands on batteries. New cars are loaded with electronics and batteries are smaller today than they were before. There is also pressure on manufacturers to make batteries cheaper which may sacrifice battery life.
Today’s cars have more electronic components and equipment which demand more power from the car battery. Older cars didn’t have to power much more than the lights, radio and heat. Now, the battery is drained faster by things like power steering, power windows and seat controls, air conditioning, touchscreen monitors, heated seats and navigation systems. Drivers today also have a lot of devices that they charge in their cars further reducing a battery life.
As the auto industry tries to make cars lighter in order to increase fuel efficiency, there has been pressure to decrease the size of batteries. Limiting the dimensions and weight also limits the amount of power that the battery can store. Combined with the increased demand for power, this means that batteries are now required to be leaner and meaner than they ever were before.
Yes, it’s true that car batteries don’t last as long as they used to and those are some of the reasons why. But maybe the tradeoff will be if the price of those batteries comes down significantly.