Before we get into how the battery works, let’s talk about what it does for your automobile. Along with the alternator, the battery powers your vehicle’s electrical system so your electrical components work. This includes things such as the starter, the entertainment system, the interior and exterior lights, the touch screen, and the USB charging ports. If your battery is older than three years old, you may start to have problems with these things because the battery is dying. Let’s talk about how the battery works.
Acid/Lead Technology
A car battery combines acid and lead to generate chemical energy. This chemical energy is also called a chemical reaction. This energy or reaction turns into electricity. The electricity is then routed through the battery cables to the electrical components in your automobile. This is a basic explanation of how the car battery works. Let’s get more detailed.
The Cells and the Acid
Unless you drive a monstrous automobile, you have a standard car battery in the engine. This battery has six cells that are made out of lead plates. Each cell has two lead plates, and these plates not only help produce the energy but also store it until it is needed. One plate is a lead plate; the other plate is a lead dioxide plate. The six cells are laid in a row inside your battery cover.
Each cell generates two volts of electricity. As such, your car battery is a 12-volt battery. A combination of sulfuric acid and water is poured over the cells and remains in the battery until the battery gets too old. Once the battery gets too old, you may end up with a sulfuric acid and water leak. When the lead cells come in contact with the sulfuric acid, ions and lead sulfate occur.
The ions start to move around the lead plates. This creates both hydrogen and lead sulfate. This is the chemical reaction that generates electricity. In addition to the electricity generated by the chemical reaction, the movement of the ions also generates electricity. This electricity is routed to the positive and negative battery terminals where it is dispersed through the battery cables.
You can tell how old your battery is by looking at the sticker on the battery that has two numbers. These numbers are the month and year that the battery was made. If your battery is older than three years old, head to our shop so we can replace your battery with a new one before you get stranded with a dead battery.
