In South Africa (230V, 50Hz) as far as I know, most gate and garage motors are connected to a motor controller and powered by usually 12V lead acid batteries, which are then connected to a charge controller to the mains. Why are the lead acid batteries necessary? Why can't the gate or garage motors be powered from the mains instead of the lead acid batteries? Has it got something to do with current spikes when first starting the motor?
Garage and Gate Motors – Why Batteries are Used with Garage and Gate Motors in South Africa
batteriesmains-supplymotor
Best Answer
Appears to be directly due to the unreliability of the power. From a South African supplier website (emphasis added):
Indirectly, the security environment in many areas of South Africa is such that one might not want to exit your vehicle to manually open a gate in the event of a power failure.