Battery Cost Inflation

[J1MGOLDEN]

Has anyone bought a 6 Volt, Group 1 Battery for their Model T lately?

The same major brand that I bought three years ago that was $75.00 with a trade in battery is now $155.00 with a trade in battery.

One auto parts store still has them for $114.95 with a trade in battery.

Both stores still add $15.00 for a no trade in sale.

A severe case of sticker shock for me, but I bought the high price battery!

[Will]

Everything has gone up, I agree, I just had to buy a battery for my 40 Chevy and it cost me 110. The pumpkin pies I used to get a my local Public's cost more and are much smaller than last year. I'm guessing next year they will be selling it by the slice!

[love2T's]

Have you bought an "innocent little 3/8" washer"? Try 29 CENTS EACH!!

Everything is totally out of control.

[TMiller6]

Yes, I bought a new 6 volt battery this year. I bit the bullet and purchased another Optima for $237 with no core charge.

They last longer. The oldest Optima AGM I have is twelve years old and my son brought it to me at the Old Car Festival this year to jump start my Model A that had the ignition left on all night. Every Optima I have purchased is still in use on my starter equipped cars. I write the purchase date on each with a permanent marker. I do a monthly rotation with a Battery Tender on each of them.

The Model A has floorboards over the battery that are screwed down underneath a carpet. My ‘26 Runabout has a battery door that requires a kid or a contortionist to access. Less battery maintenance is better.

The same logic applies to my daily use cars. The car I drive has “remove windshield wiper arms” as the first step in the battery replacement. Similarly my wife gets upset if her car doesn’t start. I am now buying AGM batteries for those cars as well.

[TXGOAT2]

The value of the United States Dollar has gone down precipitously since around 2020. Efforts are underway to remedy that situation, against considerable resistance from various entrenched interests. Devaluing the dollar, also known as Inflation, raises the price of everything, discourages saving, and drives indebtedness. Most taxes are assessed in such a way that inflated prices and wages cause automatic tax increases. One dollar today is worth what about 4 cents was worth in 1910. (In 1910, there was NO income tax and NO "Social Security" tax.)

[TRDxB2]

Who has that for $155 and was it a golf cart battery

[TXGOAT2]

Batteries bought online or mail order may carry substantial shipping costs by the time they reach you. Be sure you know the delivered cost at your end.

[TXGOAT2]

Are deep cycle batteries suited for automotive use?

[varmint]

Yes, a deep cycle battery can work in a car. Maybe not on new cars. I use one in a 1953 Chevy.

[TRDxB2]

Are deep cycle batteries suited for automotive use?

Deep cycle batteries are NOT good for starting a car because they are not designed to provide the high-burst of power needed for an engine's starter motor. They are built to supply a steady, low amount of power over a long period. Starter batteries, which are made for a large amount of current over a short duration.

Having said that Deep Cycle batteries are great for Model T's without starters. But you don't need big ones; ones for trolling motors, winches, ride-on toys...etc 7Ah or better

[Shrshot]

Are deep cycle batteries suited for automotive use?

Deep cycle batteries are NOT good for starting a car because they are not designed to provide the high-burst of power needed for an engine's starter motor. They are built to supply a steady, low amount of power over a long period. Starter batteries, which are made for a large amount of current over a short duration.

Having said that Deep Cycle batteries are great for Model T's without starters. But you don't need big ones; ones for trolling motors, winches, ride-on toys...etc 7Ah or better

That's not true. Deep cycle batteries are designed to be discharged down to 20% of the AH rating and recharged over and over again. A starting battery does not have the same reserve capacity as deep cycle. But if both are 12VDC the only things that control amount of current are number of plates in a flooded cell battery and CCA. In short YES a deep cycle battery can be used in automotive use. I ran deep cycle batteries in my semi for 19 years, because they lasted longer.

[varmint]

I suppose that I did not tell the full story. I cut the battery tray on my Chevy and welded up an extension to take a larger battery than original, which has the CCA to get the job done. It's my understanding that deep cycle batteries can recover better from a discharge, whether the discharge is after a hard start in the cold or a long slow drain.

[Art M]

I have seen recommendations that a deep cycle battery not be used n a car. But if it works for you, go for it. Forty years ago, I fabricated a battery support bracket to accommodate one. Before trying it, I put my car to sleep for 23 years. I bought a new group 1 battery when the car woke up, Group 1 costs less than a golf cart battery.

Art Mirtes

[TRDxB2]

Friend is using one of these in his non-starter. Has a second one as a back for long trips
Note the size Length 5.94"; Width 1.34"; Height 3.94" weighs 2.38 lbs & its an AGM put it anywhere battery (tape it to the dash )

[Allan]

Some of the increase will undoubtedly be due to US firms passing on the beautiful tariffs on imported batteries. These vary depending on the country of origin. I believe the minimum increase is at least 10%. There will also be business costs of implementing control/payment mechanisms for the impost.

Allan from down under.

[TRDxB2]

There are many battery manufacturers in the USA marketing products under different Brand Names
Key companies with significant automotive battery manufacturing presence in the U.S. include:
East Penn Manufacturing Co., Clarios (makes OPTIMA), Stryten Salina LLC (Champion, Exide, Absolyte, Centra, and Fulmen), SK Battery America, Inc., Tesla, Inc., A123 Systems, LLC, & Ultium Cells, LLC

The real increase in cost is due to inflation. A $75 item in January 2021 now would expect to cost in Jan 2025 $91.08. That's about 20% inflation. Normal targeted inflation is 2% a year to indicate good economic growth.
Tariff increases are not always passed on to the consumer 100%. Companies still need to be competitive.

[Allan]

i would expect a market the size of the USA would have battery manufacturers. However, Many US companies have goods manufactured overseas. Mexico may not be overseas, but they do make Optima batteries, and their production is a target of the beautiful tariffs. The origin of manufactured goods is often disguised behind well known national brands and the promotion of company heritage. I call it brand washing. Australian companies do the same, hiding the country of manufacture in the small print. You need to look to find it.

Which US companies still make all their bib overalls in the USA?

Allan from down under.

[RVA23T]

Some of the increase will undoubtedly be due to US firms passing on the beautiful tariffs on imported batteries. These vary depending on the country of origin. I believe the minimum increase is at least 10%. There will also be business costs of implementing control/payment mechanisms for the impost.

Allan from down under.

I'm just glad we don't have to pay a tariff to read every post that contains a statement of displeasure about tariffs.

Should we ever need to pay for the privilege of political views imported from a foreign country while reading a posting on a Model T internet forum, I hope it will be charged in a dollar type currency that is about 53% less in value than the US dollar and hopefully not levied for each posting read.

[Henry K. Lee]

Geez Folks easy fix to all of this...., A Country Boy will survive!

Get 50 pounds of potatoes, 1 pound of zinc galvanized nails 2" long, cut #12 gauge solid copper wire into 2" lengths, and a spool of 12 gauge strained copper wire. Now start making series/parallel circuits and you just made a potato battery! When the battery dies you have french fries and a source for making fuel or vodka! WIN WIN WIN!


Science is fun!

[J1MGOLDEN]

Did you know we had electric clocks before we had electricity plugged in to the houses to operate them?

They sold a kit with some material that worked as the electrolyte, a copper plate and an iron plate with two wires about 10 feet long that would be attached to those plates and went through a hole or window sill too attach to the electric clock.

A hole was dug outside the window for the electrolyte with the plates positioned a little different spacing from each other. Then the hole was covered with a slight dip for a few pails of water to soak in and make electricity.

The clock would stop sometimes during hot dry summers, so two buckets of water n the low spot would set it right for several more months.

So, in the old days, you could make your own battery with a few basic ingredients.

[Allan]

Richard, the "posting on a model T internet forum" entitled Battery cost inflation seeks an explanation for that inflation. There are many factors that contribute to inflation. The imposition of tariffs on imports is just one factor among many. That tariffs add to inflation is not a political proposition, it is an economic reality, a reality some seem to have difficulty recognising.

Allan from down under

[TXGOAT2]

The primary driver of dollar inflation is massive government spending and borrowing.

[RVA23T]

Richard, the "posting on a model T internet forum" entitled Battery cost inflation seeks an explanation for that inflation. There are many factors that contribute to inflation. The imposition of tariffs on imports is just one factor among many. That tariffs add to inflation is not a political proposition, it is an economic reality, a reality some seem to have difficulty recognising.

Allan from down under

No I see the dead horse.
Just can't wait for another complaint about it to be posted.

[TXGOAT2]

Oranges and lemons make good batteries, as does canning vinegar. Pure water does not conduct electricity, but most water is not pure. Just about anything dissolved in water will make it conductive to some degree. Salt, acids, and alkalis can make water a good conductor.

[Henry K. Lee]

And you can rebuild/rejuvenate your battery for about $25.00…., search YouTube!