How Solar Power Can Keep Your Truck's Starting Batteries Charged and Ready

Reliability is critical in trucking, and dead batteries halt operations. 

Solar panels keep batteries charged, preventing jumpstarts, lowering costs, and extending battery life. 

Let's explore how solar power can benefit your fleet.

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Keeps Starting Batteries Charged Even When Parked

Trucks frequently park at loading docks, truck stops, or during driver rest periods. 

While parked and off, the starting battery can slowly lose its charge, especially when electrical loads from small systems like refrigerators, phones, computers, telematics systems, GPS trackers, or security cameras are drawing power.

Solar panels installed on the truck’s roof capture sunlight and convert it into electricity. This provides a continuous trickle charge to the starting battery, ensuring it stays charged even when parked.

Extends the Life of Your Starting Batteries

Frequent deep discharges, when a battery runs too low before recharging, can significantly shorten the lifespan of starting batteries. 

Consistently draining a battery too much can lead to premature failure, which is expensive and inconvenient. 

See the Depth of Discharge graph below to see the damaging effects.

Solar power helps maintain a constant, low-level charge, preserving the health of your starting batteries and reducing the need for frequent replacements.

Improves Driver & Customer Satisfaction

Drivers have limited hours each day, and downtime from jumpstarts affects their earnings. 

Each delay disrupts their schedule and risks late pickups and deliveries, ultimately damaging customer relationships. 

By minimizing the need for jumpstarts, solar power enhances fleet reliability, keeps drivers productive, and ensures on-time deliveries, promoting a positive experience for drivers and customers.

Prevents the Need for Jump-Starts

Dead starting batteries require jump-starts, leading to delays and extra costs.

Solar panels help avoid this by keeping your truck’s starting battery charged, even when parked.

With a steady charge from solar, your batteries are less likely to drain, which means fewer jump-starts and less downtime.

Reduces Operating Costs

One significant advantage of solar power is reduced operational costs. Many midsize and large fleets report that battery maintenance is the second or third highest expense, typically ranking only behind tires.

Once installed, solar panels provide free energy from the sun, which keeps starting batteries charged without external charging devices.

Solar panels offer a significant return on investment by extending battery life and reducing jump starts.

The Bottom Line

For fleet managers, ensuring trucks start every time is crucial. 

Solar provides a cost-effective way to keep starting batteries charged, prevent disruptions from dead batteries, and extend battery life. 

Contact us today to discuss the right solar solutions for your trucks and how we can help improve your operations.

Take this blog post with you!