what is deep cycle battery

A deep cycle battery is a type of battery that is designed to be repeatedly discharged and recharged. It is commonly used in applications such as golf carts, boats, and electric vehicles. Unlike starter or "cranking" automotive batteries, which are designed to deliver only a small part of their capacity in a short, high-current burst for cranking the engine, deep cycle batteries are designed to provide sustained power over a long period and run reliably until they are 80% discharged or more. The term "deep cycle" is traditionally used for lead-acid batteries, which have thicker active plates, higher-density active paste material, and thicker separators than starter batteries. There is an inverse correlation between the depth of discharge (DOD) of the battery and the number of charge and discharge cycles it can perform, with an average "depth of discharge" of around 50% suggested as the best for storage vs cost. The lifespan of a deep cycle battery will benefit from keeping the DOD above 50%. The major modes of failure of deep-cycle batteries are loss of the active material due to shedding of the plates and corrosion of the internal grid that supports active material.