The importance of having a reliable car battery cannot be understated, especially in survival or emergency situations. While this reliability is usually only needed to leave the parking area, sometimes the situation can become extreme.
But before we discuss extreme situations and explain how these individuals used their car batteries to save themselves, let’s first discuss battery warranties.
We want to inform you that using our batteries outside their intended application will void the warranty of your product (battery).
An example of voiding your automotive battery’s warranty is if it is used to store a solar charge. This is not what our vehicle batteries were designed for; a solar battery must be able to go through multiple charging cycles, and most have fail-safes to ensure they are not fully discharged.
The warranty will be void since the product was not meant for that application. So, while you can use your battery in a tight spot, don’t expect it to be replaced via its warranty agreement, as it is now not a valid agreement.
Now that we’ve discussed the legalities of your unit’s warranty, there are multiple other applications not to do with your vehicle’s battery.
What Not To Do With Your Car’s Battery
Your car’s battery is an essential component, and mishandling it can lead to serious accidents, reduced performance and premature failure.
Make sure to avoid doing the following:
Don’t Short-Circuit It
Never connect the positive and negative terminals directly with a metal object. When you do, an explosion can occur within milliseconds of the spark being generated, which can ignite hydrogen produced by the car battery.
Always use the correct tools and follow the advised procedure when connecting and disconnecting your vehicle’s battery.
Never Overcharge
It’s never a good idea to overcharge your car’s battery. If you need to recharge it, use a smart trickle charger with an automatic shut-off feature and research how to charge a car’s battery.
A car battery that is overcharged also has the potential to explode.
Try Avoiding Deep Discharges
In daily life, deep discharging can damage the internal components and reduce the battery’s ability to hold a charge. So, letting your vehicle’s battery discharge completely will shorten its lifespan. To ensure longevity, try to keep your battery charged above 80%.
Other elements that will damage your vehicle’s battery are corrosion and being used in extreme temperatures.
Now that we know what not to do with a car’s battery, let’s talk about how reliable batteries have saved people.
1. Desert Survival in Death Valley
In 1996, a group of tourists found themselves stranded in Death Valley National Park after their vehicle broke down.
Breaking down in the middle of nowhere, with no cellphone signal and temperatures in the region soaring above 49°C, the tourists needed a plan.
With no method of signalling for help emergency, the group used their car battery to power a makeshift distress signal.
By connecting a small bulb to the battery, they were able to use their new light source to flash SOS signals at night.
Eventually, the signal grabbed the attention of a passing plane, leading to their rescue.
2. Hiking in the Drakensberg Mountains
The Drakensberg Mountains are majestic and cover a massive amount of space. A few years ago, hikers got lost on a popular and rugged hiking trail in a region which extends through Lesotho and then Eastern Cape and ends in Limpopo and Mpumalanga.
When the group realised they were lost, they discovered one of the party had brought a car battery and an inverter to charge devices, expecting to use it for photography equipment.
Instead, the group used this battery to recharge their cellphones, which allowed them to call for help and use GPS to give their coordinates to rescuers.
The group was found and safely escorted down the mountain.
3. Rescue on a Remote Canadian Highway
Canada is massive. It’s the second-largest country in the world by area. The province of British Columbia, while not the largest in Canada, still covers a total area of 944,735 km2.
For a local perspective, the Northern Cape is 372 889km² and is bigger than Germany.
So, when a family travelling on a remote highway in British Columbia broke down in the middle of winter, it was a dire situation for survival. Temperatures outside the car started to plummet well below freezing, which upped their risk of becoming hypothermic.
Thinking quickly, they used their car battery to power a portable heater, keeping them warm until help arrived. The family also charged their cellphones, which allowed them to call for emergency assistance.
Rescuers found them a day later, and they were safely evacuated.
4. Stranded in the Karoo
While the Karoo is beautiful, it is also a vast and arid region where being stranded can be a problem.
A couple of tourists in the area discovered this issue firsthand when their car broke down. Thinking quickly, the couple used their car battery to power a portable radio, which allowed them to send out a distress signal.
This signal was picked up by a local farmer, who then alerted rescue services. After spending two days stranded, the couple was found, dehydrated but safe.
5. Flooding in KwaZulu-Natal
In 2022, KwaZulu-Natal experienced intense flooding. A local family was trapped in their home as rising waters cut off all escape routes.
With the power out and their phones nearly dead, they used their car battery to charge their phones and keep in contact with emergency services.
They also used the battery to power a small pump, which helped reduce the flooding inside their home. After several hours, the family was rescued by boat, largely thanks to their ability to stay in communication.
Each of the above scenarios demonstrates survival and emergency situations where the potential life saver could be car batteries. If you want to be sure that your vehicle’s battery is ready to be used in a tight situation, make sure to get it checked at a local SABAT battery stockist.