How to ensure a smooth-'Sail'ing battery experience for years to come

Are you familiar with the various types of car batteries available on the market today? Do you know the type of battery your car requires? How about the differences between maintenance-free, AGM and EFB? If you answered a resounding 'no' to these questions, read on.

Aren't all car batteries the same?

No, not all car batteries were created equal. They may have, in the past, but not anymore. These days, you'll find terms such as maintenance-free, AGM and EFB getting thrown around a lot. But what do these mean?

Well, for starters, maintenance-free batteries aren't exactly maintenance-free. They still have to be cleaned out and tested regularly and are usually found in cars that have fewer electronics and more analogue systems.

My maintenance-free battery used to run just fine on my old car but why doesn't it last as long in my new car?

Cars manufactured 20 years ago have significantly fewer electronics than modern-day cars. They used to have an average of two computer modules and less than 20 electrified devices. Now, vehicles come with over 50 computer modules and more than 150 electrified devices.

Obviously, more electronics equals a higher demand in power. This means that your traditional maintenance-free batteries just won't cut it. instead, you'll have to upgrade to either an Absorbent Glass Mat (AGM) or an Enhanced Flooded Battery (EFB) that is capable of handling the demands of these electronics.

AGMs and EFBs have thicker internal plates than maintenance-free ones, which equates to a longer lifespan and higher number of charge cycles. One charge cycle is the time it takes for the battery to get from a 100 percent charge to zero.

Maintenance-free batteries typically have 30 cycles while AGMs and EFBs have more than 100. This makes AGMs and EFBs more capable of handling the constant starting and stopping of an engine. Put simply, they are designed to handle auto start/stop systems, in-car cameras, and any other electronic that still requires power while the engine isn't running.

Now I get it… Which battery should I get then?

Despite being infamous for poorly-built imitations and cheap knock-offs, every once in a while, the Chinese come up with something worth a try. This is the Sail battery. Sail batteries are manufactured by Fengfan, which isn't just another Chinese copycat company, it's the real deal. How real? You may ask.

Well, for starters, Chinese battery technology has slowly but steadily surpassed neighbouring Taiwan, and by the looks of it, is set to overtake the Europeans by 2030.

Fengfan is China's number one car battery manufacturer, which has a 20 percent market share in the country. It is also the OEM partner for carmakers such as Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Audi, Volkswagen in China. These cars come factory-fitted with Sail batteries, just like how cars in Europe come factory-fitted with Varta batteries.

It may not sound like a big deal at first, but in order for a company to receive the honour of being an OEM supplier, it will have to meet stringent quality standards.

This is done to ensure that each carmaker retains its quality standards and maintains its reputation. Fengfan's Sail brand has also been certified by German testing centres and is approved to be supplied to the factories of the aforementioned car brands around the world.

On top of that, Fengfan is a Government-Link Listed Company in the Shanghai Stock Exchange, and is listed under the China Shipbuilding Industry Group Power Co Ltd, with a market value of US$43 billion ($56 billion).

Fengfan's distributor for Asia is Hwa Kong Pte Ltd, a Singapore-owned company specialising in the trading and automotive industry with over five decades worth of experience. Over the years, Hwa Kong has evolved into an importer, exporter, wholesaler, distributor, stockist and specialist for three product categories - automotive and traction batteries, as well as tyres and chain saw components.

Hwa Kong was awarded sole distributorship rights for the Varta brand in Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia in 1981. To date, the company is the exclusive distributor for Sail batteries in Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar and Taiwan. It has also partnered with and provides Sail batteries for several mobile recovery services in Singapore.

For more information on Sail, please visit the Fengfan website. Sail is also offering its car battery lineup for a 50-percent discount. Simply head over to its Facebook page and quote 'Sail50' in a private message to enjoy this limited offer.

To purchase a Sail battery, head down to any one of these Sail battery valued workshop retailers.

To get in touch with Hwa Kong Pte Ltd, or if you simply wish to check out its lineup of products, please visit the Hwa Kong Trading website.