Between now and 2030, the global marine battery market is expected to grow at an annual rate of 18 percent each year. Professional anglers and sailors alike are increasingly relying on the latest advances in battery technology to allow them to compete and explore off the grid for longer periods of time. However, with ever-increasing demand, the market has been flooded with a wide range of batteries, making choosing the perfect fishing battery more difficult than ever. Below we cover the top four factors to consider when determining which batteries will best meet your customer’s needs.
- Long lasting and usable capacity vs. name plate or rated capacity
- One of the most important factors to consider is how much energy the battery can store, as this directly affects how long the battery will last before needing to be recharged. There is nothing anglers fear more than going out for a full day of fishing and then being stranded on the water in the middle of the day. Although lead-acid batteries have a lower initial price, they will be damaged if they are discharged more than 50% of their rated or nameplate capacity. As a result, you would have to buy twice as many lead-acid batteries just to reach a usable capacity similar to that of lithium batteries.
- For nearly a decade, professional anglers like Brian Thrift and Trevor Fitzgerald have been using RELiON’s 12V 100Ah RB100 lithium batteries for their capacity. RELiON also recently unveiled the RB36V40 36V 40Ah battery, which has been designed and engineered to provide 20% more capacity. This significant increase is based on comparing three RB36V40 batteries in parallel versus three RB100 batteries in series, as parallel wiring allows for double the amperage hours of RB36V40 batteries, unlike series wiring.
- Simple installation and setup
- Whether you’re upgrading from lead acid to lithium batteries or installing batteries for the first time, no one wants to spend an enormous amount of time setting up the battery system and wasting valuable time on the water. One of the main ways to simplify the installation process is to choose a battery that offers parallel wiring because it just involves bringing the positive leads together and then bringing the negative leads together. RELiON’s RB36V40 offers enhanced connectors and parallel wiring to enable your customers to get maximum voltage with minimal hassle. For example, if your customer wants more power from their 12-volt battery by increasing the voltage, but doesn’t have a battery that can be wired in parallel, they will need to run the wires in series, making the installation process more complicated.
- The RB36V40 also provides much greater voltage along with a much smaller footprint compared to lead acid batteries. On average, RELiON lithium batteries weigh one-third less than lead-acid batteries, making them much easier to lift and install. They have also been specifically designed to provide a lead acid alternative for customers looking to upgrade their energy storage systems.
- Mechanical and electrical safety and stability
- When you’re at sea, the elements – from exposure to water, wind and humidity – pose a unique challenge compared to life at the beach. As a result, marine battery components, construction and pre-testing are of utmost importance. The RB36V40 battery is specifically designed and built to meet the challenges posed by marine environments:
- IP67 rated housing: This rating ensures dust, water and splash resistance. An IP67 rating provides peace of mind that the battery provides the highest possible protection against solids, and one of the highest levels of waterproof protection against liquids.
- The battery management system (BMS) is mounted on the heat sink. This reduces the vibrations that regularly occur on boats, eliminates the possibility of accidental faults due to vibrations, and extends battery life.
- UL1642 and UL94-V0: The RB36V40 has been tested to the highest safety standards ever. Underwriters Laboratories (UL), a global safety certification organization headquartered in Illinois, has offices and laboratories in 46 countries. UL has been a leader in developing safety standards for many modern electrical products.
- Manufacturer reliability and company history
- And with the ongoing boom in lithium batteries, there are all kinds of new entrants to the market with a wide range of claims – some verifiable and some not. Even companies that have been around for many years may not be able to back up their claims with their warranties and product testing. RELiON Battery has been in the industry for over 20 years with 190 years of combined battery experience. Its batteries are designed in the United States and its engineering team based in Lowell, Michigan works alongside the company’s manufacturing facilities to ensure product quality and performance. The company’s factory is ISO 9001:20015 certified, which guarantees the highest quality management systems. In addition, the RB36V40 lithium battery also comes with a ten-year warranty, unlike many other marine batteries on the market.
If you have additional questions about what makes RELiON batteries the best choice for fishing, contact an expert today.