In the course of the digital expert event Conference Days 2025, Patric Rückert, Field Sales Representative at Clarios Germany GmbH & Co. KG, presented practical insights into current and future requirements for batteries for commercial vehicles on the “Truck & Bus” stage on May 13.
Under the title “Varta – The Right Battery for Modern Commercial Vehicle Electrical Systems,” the speaker highlighted technological differences, common failure causes, and key trends in power supply for heavy-duty transport.
Key finding: The strain on batteries is increasing due to longer rest periods and more electronic consumers in the vehicle - from air conditioning to comfort features such as microwave or oven. The most
common failure reason remains deep discharge (61 percent). Heat, vibrations due to rear axle mounting, and fuel-saving measures like disconnecting the alternator also aggravate the stress.
Rückert presented three battery types in comparison: The classic SLI battery (Starting, Lighting, Ignition) with a short endurance in stationary air conditioning operation, the more powerful EFB variant (EFB stands for "Enhanced Flooded Battery" and refers to a battery technology developed for vehicles with start-stop systems), and the AGM battery (Absorbent Glass Mat), which scores with improved deep discharge characteristics, longer service life, and vibration resistance. The latter enables up to eight hours of operation of the stationary air conditioning without recharging.
More power
demanded with higher efficiency
Looking at future requirements in fleet operations, it becomes clear: The electrical system battery remains essential even with the increasing spread of high-voltage systems. It continues to take over all key-off functions, ensures the shutdown of the HV system, and serves as a fallback level in emergencies. At the same time, cycle load increases as recuperation energy is primarily fed into the HV battery. The “Varta Promotive AGM” already meets these requirements today - including a potential saving of up to 400 liters of fuel per year and vehicle.
Fleet operators receive additional support through the Varta Partner Portal with an integrated TCO calculator and the
mobile on-site service Varta Van for customer consultations.
Digital forum for logistics decision-makers
The session took place as part of the Conference Days 2025 - a purely digital B2B event by HUSS-VERLAG, held for the fifth time on CONFERENCE-DAYS.de from May 12 to 15, 2025. Already in 2024, over 1,100 participants used the online format to inform themselves in 30 live sessions about current developments in logistics, transport, and commercial vehicle technology. The platform offers not only knowledge transfer but also numerous digital opportunities for networking and exchange between participants and partners.
Further information and the current program of the Conference Days at https://conference-days.de/. Expired sessions are available via stream.
