Battery trouble can be a pain. Nothing is worse than when your car won’t start and you’ve got somewhere to be! Often, there are things we can do to help save our batteries, like making sure all internal lights are off when we leave the car, or unplugging phone chargers. Technology in our vehicles has come so far that batteries and onboard controls can communicate incredibly efficiently.

The latest automotive battery technology requires registering any newly installed battery with the car’s engine management system. This allows the vehicle to adjust the charging protocols to the type of battery, thereby ensuring the battery’s proper function and longevity. In newer BMWs and Audis, for example, the registration of the battery is key. If an old battery is replaced with a new one of a different type (AGM* to flooded-cell, or vice versa) and not registered, the engine management system could potentially over or undercharge the new battery, shortening its service life. A brand new battery, unregistered, could last less than a year as a result.

*Absorbent Glass Mat batteries (AGMs) are especially advantageous in newer model cars. They are able to charge faster than flooded-cell versions, and can offer a longer working life overall.

Read more on batteries from Karl Seyfert in Motor Magazine here.