Considering the fact that AGM marine batteries are considerably more expensive than traditional batteries, it is a valid query to ask how long will the battery last for you. Although, the answer is not as simple because the life of an AGM marine battery resides in many different aspects.
First of all, not all AGM marine batteries are built the same, and the minor differences in the production quality also have a major impact on its lifespan. As for the life of an AGM marine battery, the expectation could be anywhere between a couple of months to a couple of years.
Here are some important facts that will help you to get the right battery for your application also make sure that it has a longer lifespan:
AGM batteries that are built with pure lead are proven to have a longer lifespan than their competitors. These batteries perform well and last significantly longer. Also, these batteries can be recycled after their servicing years to reuse the lead in AGM as well as flooded batteries.
Apart from the differences in production quality, an important external factor is an environment in your region. We will take a brief look into this matter later in our guide.
The type of your car and engine also impacts the battery life severely. In the case of a typical start/stop type of vehicle, the battery degrades at a faster rate as it has to start the engine numerous times. Thus, AGM marine batteries are a preferable choice for these types of vehicles.
With the help of the points mentioned above, you can easily get an idea about the approximate lifespan of an AGM marine battery. While the above mentioned factors should be enough, we will be taking a look at many other additional factors that have a considerable play in this discussion.
But before we talk about some additional factors that affect the life of an AGM marine battery, let’s try to understand what is a 12 volts gel battery and a 2-volt traction gel battery. We will also try to find out the approximate life expectancy of these batteries as we proceed.
AGM marine Batteries
The gel batteries are maintenance-free sealed batteries that are specifically designed to be installed on automobiles. These batteries contain a special material called gelled electrolyte, which keeps the acid stationary inside the battery. These batteries are completely leak-proof and perform pretty good considering an average of 1 to 3% of self-discharge rate every month.
If an AGM marine battery is completely charged and in an unused state, it offers an expected lifespan of about five to six years. After this period of time, the battery starts to degrade slowly, but still retains nearly 80% of its total capacity under normal working conditions. As the working temperature increases or decreases above or below the design limit respectively, the expected lifespan of an AGM marine battery is further reduced.
A standard 12 volts gel or AGM marine battery can carry up to 500 cycles of charge and discharge, considering that it will be charged from at least 20% battery level. Even after the six-year period is over, you might not need to replace the battery urgently as it can still be used even at 50% of its capacity. Thus, the average lifespan of a 12-volt gel battery is around seven years, considering real-life applications.
Traction Gel Batteries
The 2-volt traction gel battery, which is also called a robust gel battery, is specifically designed for extensive applications that require significant cycles of charges. These batteries are perfect for large systems that depend on heavy usage and an extremely long battery lifespan.
A standard 2 volts traction gel battery offers at least 15 years of lifespan without developing any problems whatsoever. Thus, it is capable of achieving somewhere between 1000 to 1500 cycles of charges, given that the batteries are recharged before they reach below 20% capacity.
