We are all aware that in yacht use the Achilles Heel of lead-acid batteries is that only about 50%1 of the rated capacity can be used on a daily basis.
But now Trojan, a well-respected brand, have released their AES AGM Battery with a claimed life of 1200 cycles to 100% discharge. These batteries are also purported to be able to withstand being left in a partial state of charge for long periods, repeatedly.
This is excellent news. And these batteries are already on store shelves….. I’ve seen them listed as low as $435 CAD ($322 USD) for a 105 Ah Group 31. That’s about a 60% premium over a basic white-label flooded-cell 105 Ah Group 31, but with a 50% gain in usable effective capacity, so very nearly the same price per usable amp-hour…. plus all the advantages of AGM over flooded…. and a Trojan is likely to last many more years before replacement versus a no-name brand.
It’s very telling that Trojan went straight to the rental power equipment market (forklifts, skyjacks, etc.) for the initial marketing release of the AES series. That’s a very demanding market, arguably much tougher than our own, and it’s managed by people who keep excellent statistics on their fleets and who come down *hard* on any supplier who can’t meet their reliability and warranty promises. Trojan is, effectively, placing a massive and expensive vote of confidence in their own technology; this is not a limited alpha-product release with uncertain support.
Hi Matt,
That’s a very good point supporting Trojan’s confidence, that I never thought of. Very comforting, thanks.