18 December 2025

Smart battery charging in SEMA’s testing environment

Case Study | Battery Charging

When a car fitted with a new aftermarket part rolls into a SEMA Garage, for rigorous emissions tests so that part can be legally sold in the US, it’s important that nothing is left to chance.

That includes each vehicle’s 12V battery, which is why the team at the SEMA Garage in Michigan connect the vehicles in its queue to a CTEK battery charger as they wait.

Ahead of the recent SEMA Show in Las Vegas, CTEK sent a trio of brand new NXT 5 chargers to the SEMA Garage in Detroit so the engineers could put them through their paces. These new CTEK chargers were officially launched at the SEMA Show.

Turbocharging testing at SEMA Garage

The SEMA Garages run tests on a variety of aftermarket parts in a wide range of vehicles. The parts include headers, superchargers, turbochargers, diesel injectors, cold air intakes, exhausts and intercoolers, plus the test are also applied to performance calibrations (tunes).

They are installed on vehicles such as diesel pickup trucks, gas pickup trucks, SUVs, performance cars and passenger cars. The SEMA Garages have their own fleet to call upon, plus members of the association provide their own.

Ben Kaminsky, SEMA’s General Manager of Detroit Garage & Testing Operations, said the garage has long used CTEK battery chargers: “We utilise many CTEK chargers in the SEMA Garage.

“They are always intuitive, easy to use and ensure vehicles SEMA Garage tests have batteries that are in optimal condition both going into and coming out of our vehicle testing no matter the battery design. We even use them on our battery powered floor scrubber.”

After the tests are complete, the CTEK chargers go back on during the standard California Air Resources Board (CARB) mandatory waiting period of ten business days after the results have been submitted. Tested vehicles must be kept in their tested condition prior to being released out of the process.

Steve Hayes, CTEK’s Regional Manager for North America, said: “At CTEK we are big supporters of SEMA and the whole performance aftermarket world. Their ethos of precision engineering fits perfectly with CTEK’s commitment to innovation through technology.

“We are thrilled that the SEMA Garage team is road testing our new battery chargers in such an important automotive setting.”

CTEK’s new NXT Series: next level battery charging

The CTEK NXT 5 chargers in use at the SEMA Garage are one of CTEK’s latest innovations. Ideal for 12V lead-acid and lithium batteries in motorcycles, cars, classics and leisure vehicles, they offer: