This SAE Standard applies to lead-acid 12 V heavy-duty storage batteries as described in SAE J537 and SAE J930 for uses in starting, lighting and ignition (SLI) applications on motor vehicles and/or off-road machines. These applications have some of the following characteristics:

High levels of power are required to start the vehicleâs internal combustion engine. The need to supply this power limits the maximum depth of discharge to a fraction of the total capacity of the battery. The battery must be maintained at a charge level sufficient to perform this primary function by vehicleâs voltage-regulated charging system.
The vehicleâs engine powers a voltage regulated charging system that limits the charging voltage when spinning at sufficient speed and when total loads do not exceed its output limits.
The battery is subject to deeper discharging than a typical automotive application as a result of the following conditions:
- High daily hours of use
- High numbers of starts per day
- Electrical loads often exceeding charging system output (at idle)

Batteries will be classified into two types for this life test. Type 1 applies to BCI group sizes typically with reserve capacity (RC) rating of 250 minutes or less. Type 2 applies to larger batteries typically with reserve capacity greater than 250 minutes.