Batteries are always a hot discussion topic. Jeff Schwen, DeepCycle Battery Store, hosts this video with a great explanation and recommendation for batteries.
This video discusses why a traditional car or truck battery may be failing in some applications. Some new cars and trucks are rolling off the production line with AGM (absorbed glass mat) style batteries because of the vehicles increased demand for 12 volt power. An AGM battery is better equipped to cycle (discharge and recharge) and has a lower self-discharge rate.
This means when the car or truck is parked for an extended time, all of the combined energy needed by computers/sensors will not discharge the AGM battery as soon as a traditional flooded cell battery. A fully charged car/truck battery will be about 2.2 volts per cell x 6 cells = 12.6 volts. A 100% discharged battery is 1.75 volts per cell or 10.75 volts.
Often a customer returns with a battery from a German car that has been parked and the battery will have a resting voltage of less than 9 volts. The owner has the option of driving (not just starting and running engine for a few minutes) the car more frequently, using a battery maintainer or purchasing an AGM battery.