Finding the best commercial battery charger is no easy task, especially given the wide range in quality and specifications of the units available today. Industrial battery chargers are high powered units capable of charging fully depleted car or truck batteries within a few short hours, and some are able to maintain the batteries of an entire fleet vehicles while they’re in for service or repair. However, without the right charging system, the benefits can be greatly diminished.
First, identify what type of lead acid battery you have, LiFePO4, wet cell (flooded), gel cell, or AGM/VRLA maintenance free. Generally one battery charger will work for all of these; the exception is LiFePO4 and gel cell.Next, find the voltage and capacity on your battery. The most common voltage of LiFePO4 Industrial batteries is 48 or 80 volts. The capacity is expressed in Ah or amp hours.
Whether your industrial battery charger is able to supply enough power to charge your battery in your preferred amount of time is another important consideration, and one that can save you post-purchase disappointments. If you have a battery with a rating of 500 Ah, a 100-amp charger might take roughly 6 hours to charge it. If, on the other hand, your battery’s capacity is rated at 1000 Ah, the same charger would take around 11 hours to fully charge it.
You can quickly estimate how long a charger will take to recharge your batteries by knowing just two pieces of information and performing a simple calculation. You will need to know:
1. The amperage rating of the battery charger. You can find it on the charger packaging or on its label;
2. The capacity of your battery in ampere hours (Ah). This will be imprinted on the battery package or on the battery itself.
Your battery’s capacity is how much energy it can deliver over time for its voltage. So, where charging time is a significant factor, you can calculate the charge duration by dividing the battery’s capacity by the charger’s ampere rating. Then optionally, you can choose to add 10 percent to accommodate a topping charge. Here is what it looks like:
Battery capacity in Ah | + | 10% | = | ESTIMATED CHARGE TIME |
Charger rating in amps |
Using the example of the 50 Ah battery, you can easily see how we determined the length of time to charge your battery with a 10-amp charger:
500 Ah battery | + | 10% | = | 5.5 hours |
100-amp charger |
We rounded up the result to 6 hours for good measure and to offset potential disappointment.
So for instance, you have a motorcycle that you only use a few times a month, but you want to make sure that it’s ready anytime you need it. This means you need a charger for battery maintenance and not battery charging. This is referred to as trickle charging. There are battery chargers that can do both maintenance and charging.
Some people need a charger to keep their car, motorcycle, or aircraft battery charged when not in use. In cases like this, a low current charger would be sufficient for this. Other batteries may need an even faster and more powerful charger. This is what you will need for a wheelchair battery or trolling motor battery.
You may also consider other types of charger specific to your needs. For instance, You may need a 48V industrial battery charger for heavy lift trucks and a 24V charger for pallet trucks.
Input voltage: Determining your grid voltage compatibility is the first and more obvious voltage consideration, especially if you are travelling. Mismatching your device voltage to the supplied power grid voltage is an easy way to damage your battery, charger, or any device, and more importantly, it can be hazardous to yourself and others. Many modern battery chargers are available with multiple input voltages that will allow you to operate your battery charger from 110VAC outlets, such as those here in the United States, the standard 220VAC outlet common to European countries, and the 100VAC power outlets that you would find in Japan.
Output voltage: When it comes to the output voltage of the battery charger, it should not exceed the voltage of your battery. For example, it may be fine to charge two 6-volt batteries in a 12-volt charger, but not to use the same 12-volt charger to individually charge a 6-volt battery. Excessive current can overheat your battery and reduce its service life and capacity. Some battery charger models have selectable current outputs. This function allows you to use a larger charger on a smaller battery by reducing the output current to a safe rating.
A general consensus that is widely supported by studies is that charging your battery to a slightly lower voltage can substantially increase the number of your battery’s charge cycles. For example, regularly charging to 90 percent of the battery voltage can add as much as 50 percent more cycles. This can be particularly helpful with rechargeable lithium batteries. Undercharging Li-ion batteries on a regular basis, and then occasionally charging them to full capacity is widely acknowledged to improve their service life. Battery chargers featuring the ability to manually enter the desired capacity or choosing preset capacity options are available; but with these more sophisticated features, prepare to spend a bit more.
Many battery chargers provide multiple battery banks or bays to simultaneously charge multiple batteries. Some of these multi-bank chargers are outfitted with a common negative contact. Others offer isolated charging channels for each battery and allow you to independently configure each channel to your needs. When each bay is able to recognize and respond to its own isolated battery, the benefit to you is that you can independently charge up batteries of varied voltages, sizes, and charge statuses all at the same time. This saves you time and ensures a complete charge.
Because of the high output currents delivered by commercial battery chargers, you’ll want to make sure the proper safety features are in place to prevent damage to the batteries being charged, the charger itself and possibly people operating the charger. The most important are reverse polarity, short-circuit, overheat and overcharge protection. Most of the units recommended here have all of these and more.
Because of the high output currents delivered by commercial battery chargers, you’ll want to make sure the proper safety features are in place to prevent damage to the batteries being charged, the charger itself and possibly people operating the charger. The most important are reverse polarity, short-circuit, overheat and overcharge protection. Most of the units recommended here have all of these and more industrial battery manufacturers.
Briefly, the difference between an industrial battery charger and a standard car battery charger essentially comes down to the following:
● Charging current – commercial chargers normally have more. There is however no clear cut point at which a charger becomes classed as a commercial charger. It is usually a combination of the four factors listed here that makes the separation.
● Number of batteries that can be charged simultaneously – again there’s no agreed upon number, but often, industrial chargers will have more.
● Charging voltages – standard chargers normally only offer 12V charging, while commercial chargers often provide a range from 6V to 24V, and sometimes even 48V.
● Heavy duty circuitry and build – this is probably the clearest difference. Obviously commercial battery chargers need to be built tough to handle a workshop environment, and the internal circuitry needs to be designed to work day-in and day-out for several years. An ordinary charger will normally not be subjected to the same heavy duty requirements.
The following chart is Industrial battery chargers that we currently have available for purchase (last updated September, 2021). The information is based on the charger manufacturer’s recommendations for the battery capacity and type. You may also refer to your user manual or battery manufacturer for charger recommendations.
| Model | Input Voltage Range | Recommended Battery Capacity | Recommended Battery Type |
| Portable Series | 16VDC-32VDC | 50-200A | LiFePO4 |
| 24V Series | 320VDC-440VDC | 200A-500A | LiFePO4 |
| 48V Series | 320VDC-440VDC | 200A-800A | LiFePO4 |
| 80V Series | 320VDC-440VDC | 200A-1000A | LiFePO4 |
| 150V Series | 320VDC-440VDC | 200A-2000A | LiFePO4 |
| Double connectors Series | 320VDC-440VDC | 200A-2000A | LiFePO4 |
| American standard Series | 432VDC-528VDC | 200A-2000A | LiFePO4 |
Ultimately, the right battery systems charger depends on the battery as well as the budget of the customer. It is important to stay educated about the different types of chargers in order to make the best choices.
To learn more about the BSLBATT industrial Battery charging systems, click below.
