Charger becomes professional tool

Between January 12th and 15th 2011, the latest trends and product developments in the field of workshop equipment and vehicle accessories were on show at the Salzburg exhibition site. The Battery Charging Systems division was also represented. Once again, the new Acctiva Professional 35A for the workshop was the highlight of the trade fair.

The trade fair is held every two years, so the stage was set for Autozum 2011 at the Salzburg exhibition site. More than 300 trade exhibitors can look back on an excellent four-day event. More than 240,000 visitors, mostly from the automotive industry, together with interesting technical presentations all contributed to the success of the event.

Fronius presented the Acctiva battery charging systems for starter batteries on the stand it shared with Fronius partner FAN. The talk among visitors from industry was increasingly about a professional tool for the workshop and showroom, rather than simply a conventional charger. This is because nowadays charging systems need to do more than just charge, they need to 'think'. Functions, such as power supply mode, battery changing and the refresh mode, are essential for day-to-day activities in the workshop. The different applications can be adjusted easily and quickly using the interactive display. The new Acctiva Professional 35A is the ideal tool to meet these workshop requirements, as demonstrated by the positive feedback from the market.

The new automatic start/stop function that is increasingly becoming a standard feature of modern vehicles produces high demands on the battery. This function briefly switches the engine off at crossroads, traffic lights or whenever the vehicle is stationary for short periods in order to save on fuel. Many drivers are unaware that full power is required from the battery whenever the system is restarted. This means the battery has to start the engine much more often and therefore requires regular charging.

The Förch group and sales partner PCI Diagnostic had presentations of Fronius charging technology on their stands. In addition to large numbers of vehicle workshops and the trade press, car manufacturers, such as Mercedes, Porsche and Scania, were among the visitors to the Fronius stand.

Autozum 2011 demonstrated that there is a clear willingness to invest in these tools among main dealer and independent vehicle workshops.