CV Smart Choice 41 HGV DIRECT

PLEASE NOTE: ALL OFFERS END 30 SEPTEMBER 2025 AND ARE SUBJECT TO AVAILABILITY. ALL PRICES EXCLUDE VAT. SEE THE BACK PAGE FOR BRANCH CONTACT DETAILS. THE SMART CHOICE 27 As Ecobat Battery, the UK’s largest battery distributor has previously highlighted, dealing with the effects that increasingly high electrical demands has on the batteries fitted to the country’s commercial vehicle (CV) fleets, is a major problem and a significant unwanted cost to operators, as it is causing many batteries to fail prematurely. This is precisely the issue that was encountered by a major national haulier, a national logistics business, and one of CV parts factor and IFA member, Fleet Components’ most valued, long term customers. Fleet Components has an exceptional reputation for both the quality of the parts it supplies and the level of service it provides, so it came as an unwelcome surprise to find that when their cusomer went through its fleet’s replacement cycle, it began to experience an increasing incidence of early life battery failure. As an approved supplier to the IFA, with an excellent working relationship with Fleet Components, Ecobat Battery was recommended as the go to company to help find a resolution to the issue, so there followed a technical investigation carried out by Chris Jones and Scott Barker, in conjunction with Fleet Components, to look at the problems and discover a solution. “After analysing the problems and following consultation with the customer, it became evident that a large number of the vehicles in the fleet had extremely high levels of electrical demand due to their reliance on numerous power consuming functions,” explained Fleet Components’ Iain Allenden. “These include parking cooler/heaters and, when cabs double-up as hotel rooms overnight, the battery is also the sole source of power for cooking, lighting and TVs, as well as for charging tablets or laptops etc. “At the conclusion of the joint exercise, the Exide PowerPRO EF2353 was the battery selected to help resolve the issues, due to its combination of capabilities and its original equipment pedigree, making it a cost effective solution,” Ecobat Battery’s Scott Barker added: “As an Ecobat Battery customer, we carry out ongoing staff training to help the Fleet Components team keep fully up to date with battery testing processes, and to question why batteries fail etc. So, by combining this knowledge with the experience we have within the Ecobat Battery team, having identified the customer’s initial problem, we were able to work together to find a suitable solution, which is a fantastic example of practical cooperation and mutual benefit.” Another major dividend for Fleet Components, as it would be to any CV factor, is that since the switch, the battery return rate has dropped to just over 0.5%, an impressive result that has been replicated by Fleetwheel Cardiff, another satisfied Ecobat Battery customer. This example of customer consultation is not an uncommon occurrence for Ecobat Battery, as it is widely recognised for its extensive power storage related expertise, across the many industries the company serves. What it proves however, is that despite being a relatively big business, it is still able to respond to the specific needs of its customers to ensure the most suitable solution to a given problem, or set of challenges, is found. This is made possible because Ecobat Battery has built its reputation by providing its customers with a level of service that reaches far beyond just battery sales. Although, as has been demonstrated, its additional services include practical advice as to which is the most suitable battery solution, they also embrace identifying the correct charging regime for each application, and providing flexible aftersales service packages that maximise battery life and optimise returns on their customer’s investment, as examples. Contact your local branch to find out more! Practical cooperation and mutual benefits