Clarios Trailer Battery manager to monitor liftgate, reefer operations
LAS VEGAS—Clarios is expanding its Connected Services Platform, the company announced at the 2026 Consumer Electronics Show. The platform will feature the Trailer Battery Manager, which can assist with refrigerated trailers and liftgate operation by providing real-time monitoring of trailer battery health and chare status.
The feature, powered by a combination of AI, machine learning and the cloud, can detect issues such as disconnected power or deep discharge, helping operators avoid liftgate failures and monitor cooling systems for refrigerated transport. Fleet managers will also be able to watch for when batteries are nearing the end of their useful service life.
The Trailer Battery Manager does require a subscription and a one-time equipment installation fee, which covers adding a sensor and gateway to the batteries. But once it's done, the system records and transmits battery data every few moments, similar to Clarios’ IdleLess program announced last April.
One fleet’s question started the Trailer Battery Manager
The Trailer Battery Manager's development began with another Clarios product launch, the tractor-specific version of the Battery Manager that could monitor batteries and provide actionable insights via a web portal. During the launch, one fleet asked if Clarios could also help with the trailer’s batteries.
“We didn’t know they had a problem with the trailer batteries,” Cagatay Topcu, VP of connected service for Clarios, told industry journalists here in Las Vegas.
A few weeks after attaching the battery sensors and gateways, the company then noticed two problems related to liftgate operation.
“They are pulling the trailer without the power cord, and drivers are forgetting that,” Topcu said. “The second one is that sometimes the trailer is sitting so much in the yard, the batteries are deep discharged; the batteries are damaged.”
Clarios identified both problems with its solution: When the liftgate’s power supply is disconnected, a notification to the driver can resolve the issue; when a stationary trailer has a low battery, Clarios can provide the trailer’s GPS location to identify the equipment.
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Jeremy Wolfe
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Editor Jeremy Wolfe joined the FleetOwner team in February 2024. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point with majors in English and Philosophy. He previously served as Editor for Endeavor Business Media's Water Group publications.