Comparison Centra Futura CA722 vs Varta Blue Dynamic 72RL

All types of lead-acid car batteries can use different types of plates. In fact, these are electrodes that are immersed in electrolyte. They are like this:

— Calcium (Ca-Ca). Lead plates that are doped with calcium in a proportion of no more than 0.1% of the total mass of the electrode. Their advantages are long service life, increased strength and thin plate thickness, low-maintenance or maintenance-free design. Ca-Ca batteries can easily tolerate increased voltages up to 14.8 V and are characterized by a low level of self-discharge. Only a deep discharge of the battery can be destructive for such models, during which the resulting calcium sulfate clogs the pores of the plates and is practically insoluble in the electrolyte. Once discharged, a calcium battery loses up to 20% of its original capacity, which cannot be restored.

— Antimony (Sb-Sb). Antimony was often used in the past to strengthen the strength of lead plates, since lead itself is a soft metal. The antimony content in the plates is 5% or more. Today, Sb-Sb batteries are rare. The fact is that the antimony version of the plates has a significant drawback - they speed up the electrolysis process and water begins to quickly boil away from the electrolyte, which entails exposure of the electrodes and their subsequent shedding. Batteries with antimony plates necessarily require maintenance and quickly become unusable if water is n...ot added in time.

- Hybrid. In the hybrid version, the positive electrode is manufactured using one technology, and the negative electrode using another. The following varieties of “hybrids” are found: argentum-calcium, carbon-calcium, carbon-lead, tin-calcium, etc. Different metals are introduced into the battery structure to ensure optimal battery performance. In particular, some of them guarantee the stability of the power source to deep discharge, others are aimed at low self-discharge of the battery. The most widespread are calcium “hybrids”, designated Calcium Plus or Ca+. In general, batteries with hybrid plates carry the Hybrid brand.

The starting power of the battery, measured according to the EN standard (the unified standard of the European Union). According to this standard, the starting power is the maximum power that the battery can deliver for 30 seconds at an electrolyte temperature of -18 °C without the voltage dropping below a certain level (for standard 12 V batteries - not lower than 7.2 V). The term "starting" appeared because this operating mode is similar to starting an engine, when the battery has to deliver a high-power power to the starter for a short time.

The recommended starting power value is generally related to the weight category of the vehicle: the heavier it is, the more powerful the power usually needed to start it. And many manufacturers directly indicate the recommended values in the characteristics of a particular vehicle model. If the battery is purchased as a replacement, the general rule is: its starting power should be no less than that of its predecessor.

Note that in practice, starting power designations may be encountered according to 3 more standards: SAE (USA), DIN (Germany) and TU (GOST 959-91). The first is almost identical to EN, and DIN and TU are quite easy to translate into EN and vice versa: they are similar to each other, and each of them gives a number approximately 1.7 times smaller than NE. That is, for example, to replace a 200 A battery according to TU, you should look for a model with a power of at least 340 A (200 * 1.7) according to EN.

Has a charge indicator on the battery.

Such an indicator displays the current charge level and allows you to generally assess the state of the battery literally at a glance, without additional actions and diagnostic equipment. In some models of serviceable batteries, the indicator can signal not only the need for charging, but also the need to add water to the electrolyte (for more details, see "Maintenance").