Battery Terms Explained
Battery specs and jargon in plain language — what Ah, CCA, JIS, DIN, maintenance-free, tubular, AGM and deep cycle actually mean, so you can choose the right battery for your car, UPS or solar system.
- Ah (amp-hours)
- A battery's capacity — roughly how much energy it holds. Small cars use 35–45 Ah, most sedans 45–65 Ah, SUVs and diesels 70–100 Ah.
- CCA (cold cranking amps)
- How much current a battery can deliver for a short burst to turn a cold engine. Matters most for diesels and large petrol engines.
- JIS terminals
- Japanese-standard battery posts — thinner, usually raised on a step. Used by most Japanese cars sold in Pakistan (Toyota, Honda, Suzuki).
- DIN terminals
- European-standard battery posts — fatter, usually recessed into the top corners. Used by many European cars and some newer models.
- Maintenance-free (MF) battery
- A sealed battery that never needs water top-ups. The electrolyte is recombined inside the case. Better in Lahore's heat.
- Conventional (flooded) battery
- A battery with removable caps whose electrolyte level must be checked and topped up with distilled water, roughly monthly in summer.
- Tubular battery
- A battery with thick tube-shaped positive plates built to survive daily deep cycling — the right type for a home UPS or solar bank.
- AGM battery
- Absorbed Glass Mat — a sealed lead-acid type with the acid held in glass-mat separators. Used in start-stop cars and hybrid 12V systems.
- Deep cycle
- A battery designed to be discharged a long way and recharged many times, unlike a starting battery which gives a short burst then recharges.
- Depth of discharge (DoD)
- How much of a battery you use each cycle. Lead-acid is best kept above 50%; quality lithium can safely use 80–90%.
- Sulphation
- Hard lead-sulphate crystals that form on the plates when a battery sits discharged, permanently reducing capacity. The main reason a stored or repeatedly-flat battery fails.
- Electrolyte
- The sulphuric-acid-and-water mix inside a lead-acid battery. Only water evaporates, so you top up with distilled water, never acid.
- State of charge
- How full the battery is now. About 12.6V at rest is full for a 12V battery; 12.0V or below means deeply discharged.
- Charging voltage
- What the alternator or inverter puts into the battery — about 13.8–14.6V running for a car. Too high boils off water; too low undercharges.
- Parasitic drain
- Current a car keeps drawing when switched off — alarm, immobiliser, ECU memory, trackers. Excessive drain flattens the battery overnight.
- LiFePO4 (lithium iron phosphate)
- The lithium chemistry used in home solar batteries — long life, high usable capacity, compact, and more heat-tolerant than other lithium types.
- Old battery exchange
- Trading in your used battery against a new one. Value is based on lead weight — roughly Rs. 500–3,000 for a car battery, more for tubular and truck batteries.
- N-series (N70, N100, N150, N200)
- Large commercial battery sizes for trucks, buses, tractors and generators, roughly 70 to 200 Ah with high cranking current.
Not sure which battery you need?
Send your car model, or your inverter and load details — we will translate the specs and recommend the right battery, delivered and fitted in Lahore.
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