When You Forget, This Device Takes Charge of Your Battery

Whether you own a new Mercedes or a 10-year-old Yugo, your car will not move 1 inch without a charged battery to start the engine.

But several million times every year, motorists of all standing must contend with dead batteries, often because they inadvertently leave either their lights or an accessory on when they walk away from the car.

Inventors have come up with a number of products to help reduce the chance of a dead battery. Most cars now have warning systems that sound an alarm if the lights are left on when the keys are out of the ignition. And many cars have headlights that are automatically controlled.

But with theft alarms, cell phones and interior lights, it is still possible to drain a battery. The latest invention for dealing with this problem comes from Baton Labs Inc., a small Granada Hills company that is owned by the husband and wife team of Beth and Larry Hayslett.

Their device, known as PriorityStart, is designed to automatically disconnect the battery when it senses the battery is losing voltage and the ignition switch is off. It is supposed to disconnect the battery before it is so discharged that it cannot start the car. It uses some sophisticated chips made in Silicon Valley to sense whether the ignition switch is off and to measure the battery voltage.

When the motorist returns to the car and inserts the key into the ignition, PriorityStart is supposed to automatically reconnect the battery.

The small device is wired directly to the positive post on the battery and the cable that normally goes to the positive post instead goes into the PriorityStart. The company claims that PriorityStart “is easily installed on standard vehicle batteries.”

But I doubt that many people have either the tools, the interest or the skill to do it themselves. Battery cables often are corroded and difficult to remove. Many people are inclined to twist them off, which can ruin a battery. A mechanic should charge about $20 or $30 for the job.

PriorityStart costs $79.95--not cheap, but if the alternative is a dead battery it may be worth the price.

BLI says it has sold several thousand of the newly introduced gadgets. It is available only from the company, which can be reached at (800) 780-8276.