Charging Lithium Batteries Below Freezing – Methods and Fast Charging

Your phone may display the "temperature too low" message when you want to charge it. Do not ignore this message. Cold temperature is one of the biggest enemies of your battery. It does not only reduce performance but may cause the battery to stop functioning completely.

Cold temperature may occur due to several reasons. First, it could happen if you are living in freezing conditions. Also, it can happen if the temperature sensor is faulty.

You must establish what is causing the issues before charging. Unfortunately, many people don't have any idea of what to do, and they end up damaging their batteries and devices.

Read this guide to understand how to can charge cold batteries and avoid such issues.

Charging Cold Batteries

Different batteries behave differently in cold conditions. You need to understand your battery well first and read the charging instructions before you attempt and methods. The idea here is to gain full charge while avoiding anything that could cause further damage to the device.

Most devices today use lithium-ion batteries. They are considered the best both in performance and durability. And they are also more expensive.

It's crucial to protect your battery when charging in cold conditions. Understand that even the best batteries are designed to operate under certain temperature conditions. Once they get below this, you will not be doing any justice to yourself by forcing a charge.

Here is how to do it:

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Warm the battery first.

It's advisable to freeze your batteries when you want to store them for a long time. But what happens when you take them from the freezer matters even more. There have been instances of batteries exploding because the users tried charging them when they were still cold.

Cold temperature increases internal resistance in the battery. This is why the phone will shut down immediately when the temperature sensor detects something out of the ordinary.

Do not attempt charging li-ion batteries below 32 degrees F. That means you should never connect the battery when it's below freezing point. This will cause a sudden, severe, and permanent loss of capacity. The rate of damage is proportional to the charging rating you may have set your charger to.

Lithium-ion batteries that have been cold charged are not safe for use. It's recommended that you dispose of such a battery safely to avoid the risk.

Check for other Issues.

Sometimes you get a low-temperature message on your phone because of a faulty system.For instance, if your device's temperature sensor is faulty, you can expect it to give wrong recordings. That means it will record low battery temperature even when you are operating in optimal conditions. You can resolve this by checking and fixing the sensor. This should get the device back on track immediately.

Another issue could be that the battery is faulty or too old. Damaged batteries tend to show too many issues that you have not expected. You can fix this by changing the battery and charging it when it's in perfect condition.

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Some phone companies also like updating their operating systems frequently. That means the old system will not pick new technologies and ideas, which could cause the low-temperature problem. Therefore, check that your OS system is updated and fix it if you discover any other issues.

Do not charge a cold lithium battery.

So, the simplest solution to dealing with a cold Li-ion battery is to avoid charging it. You might be wondering what will happen. Answering this requires a brief explanation of how the batteries work.

First, batteries come with an anode and a cathode in an electrolyte. The difference in li-ion batteries is that the ions move from the cathode to the anode during charging and vice versa when discharging. The ions intercalate in the anode during charging, leaving the anode material to expand slightly.

The ions intercalate into the graphite anode when discharging, a process that increases internal stresses. This cause a large volumetric strain on the anode.

So, when you charge the battery under freezing conditions, most of the ions will not intercalate in the anode. It will instead electroplate it, causing damage to the battery.

And that is why you need to warm the battery first, to allow the anode's expansion to receive charge. Below freezing temperature causes metal plating of the anode.

lithium battery Temperature Limits

Lithium-ion batteries have become the most common energy storage solution due to their capacity. But to get the best from these batteries, one must understand how to use them under different conditions, especially when it comes to charging and discharging.

You can use li-ion batteries in certain equipment in the range of 0 to 35 degrees C. The best temperature is between 16 to 25 degrees C. This will give you optimal performance as the battery will remain cool no matter where it's been used.

When it comes to storage, the ideal temperatures are between -20 to 45 degrees, but under restrictions.?The user must first understand the battery's specific construction and set an ideal temperature for storing them.

When the battery's temperature drops below 0 degrees C, you need to warm it up before you attempt charging. As seen above, cold temperature leads to electroplating of the anode, leading to severe damage if poorly handled.

Advancements have been made in this industry where you can now charge cold batteries, but only using very low currents. For instance, you can charge a battery at -32 degrees C at an allowance rate of 0.02. The charge rate should stretch over 50 hours. But since this time is as impractical, you are better off warming the battery first.

Fast-charging of Lithium-ion Batteries at All Temperatures

The rate you charge the battery at any temperature greatly affects it. All lithium-ion batteries can be fast-charged, from 5 degrees C to 45 degrees C. If you find a battery below this measure, you should reduce it completely and stop charging any battery below the freezing point.

Technological advancement has made it possible to use an appropriate charge for your battery at any temperature. However, it's quite important that you find a charger that delivers that charge. Otherwise, it's better to avoid fast-charging batteries that are at too low temperatures.