There are 5 main reasons for a car battery to go flat.

1. Human error

Leaving the headlights on, leaving a door open, or not closing the boot or tailgate fully, are likely culprits. Dash-cams set to run 24/7, without any "auto cut-off" set, are also a common reason.

2. Car Battery in Poor Condition

Batteries in cars aren't "set and forget". Older batteries need replacing (usually by the 4th or 5th year). Check the battery terminals for corrosion, and if you haven't driven your car much, either top up the 12v battery with a trickle charger, or drive it more often!

3. Electrical component issues

The 12v battery in your car isn't just responsible for keeping your engine / motor running; it also runs all your other electrical components, from power-windows to headlights. If your car is struggling to keep these all running, that's a sign that there is a problem with the battery (and it's ability to keep all these parts running)

4. Charging System Problems.

Whether you're driving an internal combustion engine (ICE) or an EV, if your alternator (ICE) or your DC-DC converter (in an EV) is what keeps your 12v battery charged up. So if you experience reoccurring 12v battery problems, it's possible that your car's charging system isn't topping up your 12v battery sufficiently.

5. Shortened Life due to Extreme Hot / Cold temperatures

When your car lives through extreme temperatures, whether it be extreme heat, or the extreme cold, this affects your 12 volt battery. The net result is a shorter lifespan, so keeping your car out of temperature extremes, will help you get the most out of your car's battery.

Did you know?

Did you know that you are more likely experience battery problems in winter, due to the colder weather, plus the reliance on other accessories (such as headlights being left on, windscreen wipers, heater etc.)

The solution to battery dramas? Monitor your 12v battery remotely

If you want to keep an eye on your 12v battery from your smartphone, our Internet-enabled 12v battery monitors allow you to do exactly that! Set custom alerts, graph your batteries recent voltage history and more.

Visit our 12v Internet-enabled voltmeter page for more information, and to learn how to get alerts, so that you can avoid a completely flat car battery ever again!

If you want to monitor your cars 12v battery or even a secondary battery system, you’ve come to the right place! You can now monitor your 12volt batteries using our internet-enabled 12v monitoring solution!

• easy 2-wire connection 
• add to your favorite 2 Wi-Fi networks (e.g. at home, at work)
• add custom-alerts on your smartphone, when your 12v battery is getting low

Let's say your car is parked at home, and it's battery hits the pre-set limit. Within seconds, you get alerted, so that you can take action, before the battery gets any lower.

Want more?

You can also add additional units to the smartphone app to monitor additional vehicles (or secondary battery set-ups). Never be left in the dark about the state of charge of your 12v batteries again.

How does this Internet enabled voltmeter compare to a Bluetooth battery monitor?

• Bluetooth units can't be customised
• Bluetooth units don't offer smartphone alerts.

So if you want to be informed when your 12v battery is low, a Bluetooth unit isn't going to help you. But our Internet-capable Wi-Fi voltmeters will help!

Can I monitor my car's 12v battery while I'm away overseas?

Yes, our 12v Wi-Fi (Internet-capable) battery monitor can monitor your vehicle's 12v battery, even while you're overseas. Simply open the companion smartphone app, and check your car's battery.

As long as your car is still within your Wi-Fi range, you'll still be able to monitor it, from anywhere in the world.

Ready to monitor your battery? Visit our 12v Wi-Fi (Internet capable) monitor page today.

Pedestrians can't hear you

EVs are super-quiet. And that is one of many draw-cards. But the downside of electric vehicles, whether it be a passenger, recreational, industrial or mobility vehicle, is that in many situations you need pedestrians to be able to hear your vehicle coming!

That's where our Pedestrian Alert Warning System (or PAWS) for short come in. Our PAWS devices allow you to add your own customer MP3 or WAV audio file, which when triggered alerts pedestrians to your vehicle's presence.

Custom audio files

We also make custom audio files for our PAWS units. Check out our most popular PAWS audio file.

Weatherproof model

For fully waterproof situations and restricted space installations, we recommend the W-PAWS model.

Need more volume?

For applications where you want a move powerful weatherproof audio output, we recommend the PAWS model with an external horn speaker.

And for applications where you'd like the choice of multiple audio files or triggers, our original all-in-one PAWS unit comes in.

Not sure what PAWS model suits your needs? Or need a custom pedestrian-alert audio file? Contact us to discuss your individual requirements.

How can you keep your EV's 12v battery charged, especially if you're not driving it? What if your EV's 12v battery is hard to access?

Let's look at what's going on, ways to solve your 12v battery issues, and how to monitor your 12v battery accurately, including getting alerts when your 12v battery goes flat, even when you're not near the vehicle.

Driving frequency / drive type

How far you drive, and how frequently you drive, directly effects when your EV's 12volt battery gets a charge, from the DCDC converter onboard.

Less frequent drives, covering only short journeys, combined with always-on Internet-connected EVs, means your 12v battery gets constant use, gradually draining it.

And if it's winter, that's a double whammy, because the weather directly reduces 12v battery performance. This is exactly why more EV drivers experience a flat 12v battery, during winter months, vs in summer.

Battery age

Add to this: battery age. Most EVs use a heavy duty 12v battery (such as AGM or Lead Acid battery). After 2-3 years of ownership, these batteries are beginning to show their age. Through in the colder winter months, your EV needs all the help it can get, to keep the 12v battery charged.

There must be an easy way to charge an EV's 12volt battery?

You can certainly trickle-charge an EV 12v battery, just like you can on internal combustion engine vehicles. But many EVs, including the Volvo XC40 / EX40, have cover panels hiding the battery, making charging (and replacing) the 12v battery, a lot more complicated.

Luckily, EV's have one special trick up their sleeve... They can draw-down charge from their drive-train battery, to charge the 12v battery. But you must tell the car to do this trick, and do it more often. Let's introduce you to pre-conditioning timers.

What are pre-conditioning timers?

These are timers, available in your EV's Infotainment system or App, that allow you to get the car "ready for use" (i.e. warm up, or cool down the cabin). What most EV owners don't realise, is that when running, these timers also allow your EV's 12volt battery to be charged. A small amount of your high voltage battery is converted into a charge in your 12v battery. All without any jumper leads, and without the need for a battery charger.

Example of timer usage - office worker

Let's say you work in an office, and leave work at around 5.00pm each weekday. You could set a preconditioning timer, to get your vehicle ready at 4.30pm, so that by 5.00pm, it's ready to drive. That timer also has an extra 30 minutes of crucial 12v battery charging time (the equivalent 12v battery charge to driving your EV around for 30 minutes). And all you have to do is set it  up with a few taps from your EV's smartphone app.

Another example - an EV not driven frequently

Now lets say that your EV gets less frequent drives. The risk is that in this scenario, your EV's 12v battery may steadily go down, and not get enough driving-time, to get charged from the built-in DCDC converter (the modern equivalent of the petrol-engine alternator). 

For an EV owner in this scenario, you could set a regular timer, that draws a small charge from your drive-train (high voltage) battery, to top-up your 12v battery every couple of days.

The Key - Monitor your 12volt battery charge

Most EVs don't allow you to monitor you 12volt battery's state of charge. As EV owners ourselves, we know the pain of a flat 12v battery. That's why we stock Internet-enabled (Wi-Fi enabled) 12 volt battery monitors. The voltmeter lives in your car's cabin, and when your car is within your Wi-Fi networks range (at home or work -- you can add whichever suits you), the voltmeter sends you updates about your car's 12v battery. You can even use our Internet enabled voltmeters on internal-combustion cars too. 

You can see recent data as a graph, or see exact current voltage levels, live. 

Yes, you can even monitor your EV's 12v battery status while you are traveling overseas (while your EV's parked up safely in your garage or carport at home).

Get Alerted when your 12v battery is getting low on charge

Our Internet enabled 12v battery monitors have a special trick of their own. They can send alerts to your smartphone, to let you know how your 12v battery is going. As long as the car is connected to one of your Wi-Fi networks, your smartphone can get the alert anywhere in the world.

Set a custom alert when your 12v battery charge gets too low (e.g. at 11.9 volts), and you can even set alarms, when the voltage drops to critical levels (e.g. below 11.5 volts). 

So don't suffer a flat 12v battery in your EV ever again. Check out our Internet-enabled 12v battery voltmeters from our online store today.

EVs -- too quiet?

OK, so you've got an EV. It's silent, and awesome. Problem is: pedestrians, cyclists, kids and even animals can't hear you. Solution: Our PAWS Pedestrian Alert Warning System for EVs.

PAWS - get heard

PAWS allows you to play a pre-recorded piece of audio from it's all-in-one casing, to warn pedestrians that you're approaching. You can trigger one of 7 replaceable MP3 or WAV files with your own audio.

Easy install -- just add 12v power

Our idea is simple: put the PAWS unit somewhere water-tight, like in your EV's frunk, wire it to 12v power, and chose the tone(s) you want to play, and then simply trigger that tone.

We've included a futuristic 'EV' car sound, a bike bell, and even a V8 engine roar.

But if you don't like the tones we've pre-installed, you can mount the PAWS unit as a USB drive, and add your own sounds! (MP3 and WAV files welcome).

Check out the PAWS video to see the sounds we provide by default:

Want help with your PAWS units, or need more information? Let us know!

Ready to check-out the PAWS units? Visit the Pedestrian Alert Warning System product page.

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