BUSINESS PROFILE – All about batteries

In Business Profile4 MinutesBy NZ Trucking magazineSeptember 10, 2020

Auto Batteries is a Christchurchbased start-up that supplies high-quality batteries to the automotive industry at competitive prices.

The unmistakably sluggish crank of the starter, dimming lights and electronics on the fritz… A vehicle‘s battery is a component you hardly think about until it begins to fail and needs replacing. However, this is the wrong way to go about keeping your vehicle‘s electrons flowing; batteries need their fair amount of care and attention, and choosing the correct battery in the first place is paramount. “The biggest causes of early failure, in my experience, are one or a combination of the following: batteries that are undersized (insufficient cold cranking amps – CCA); discharged excessively (lights or accessories left running too long); underused (vehicles parked up for long periods should have periodic charging by running the engine or connection to some form of trickle charger); incorrect chemistry (non-calcium in European, or not AGM in start/stop or modern vehicles where a deep cycle battery is specified); and failure to monitor electrolyte levels in flooded batteries,” explains Charlie Fox, owner of Auto Batteries. Carrying forward his expertise in automotive repairs and technical development in the solar industry, the Christchurch resident noticed the need in New Zealand for a wide choice of affordable, quality batteries, as well as honest advice for customers.

Fox explains that Auto Batteries is a business he had been thinking about for a few years. “It was the popularity of sales via Facebook Marketplace, and encouragement from my partner and sister, that made me decide to get it started.” Auto Batteries started as a business to supply automotive, power sports, commercial, industrial (used in equipment such as electric fork hoists) and marine batteries, but ended up also encompassing all aspects of solar energy solutions and motorcycle batteries. In this regard the company‘s focus is on DC systems for RVs, campervans and caravans, and can supply components for full household systems as well. Auto Batteries currently supplies eight brands of battery that cover this wide range of applications, including Neutron Power, Katana, Solax, Crowen and Trojan. “While not the cheapest, Trojan batteries are absolutely the best,” Fox says. “The batteries sold by Auto Batteries are made in Taiwan, Germany, Japan, or the USA. Quality batteries are backed by a warranty and produced in ISO certified factories, with care taken with transportation and storage,” he explains. Despite being based in Christchurch with a focus on the Canterbury region, Auto Batteries serves customers nationwide. “Local delivery is generally made within a few hours by ourselves or the excellent team at iDeliver. For the rest of the country we rely on Owens Transport,” Fox says. In addition to supplying batteries, Auto Batteries also carries out battery recycling (locally) and installations when requested by customers, including free disposal and installation for SuperGold card holders. On that point, users on the autobatteries.co.nz website may qualify for discounts and can choose to enrol in the Auto Batteries loyalty programme, where repeat purchases are rewarded. “Auto Batteries does its best to be competitive on pricing, provide discounts on bulk purchases, and if customers are in the wops or rural I don‘t charge extra for delivery,” Fox says.

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