What are the reasons for the zero voltage of lithium-ion batteries?

Lithium-ion batteries are rechargeable only if you recharge them at the right time. Sometimes your lithium-ion battery shows zero voltage, and after even reviving them, it won't give its best performance. What is the reason behind this zero voltage sign, especially if you have been recharging it on time before the battery got too dead? 

Let's talk about a few reasons here:

Lithium-ion Battery Reads 0 Volts

Is it worth reviving the lithium-ion ion battery that reads 0 volts? Well, what is the main case of this happening? There are two main causes for this scenario.

A short circuit affected the battery badly, and it got a dead cell, and now it shows 0 volts.

You charged the battery with a faulty charger, and you keep using the battery instead, and now the battery is dead because of low power. 

Now even if you successfully revive the battery of 12V from 0 voltage, it will show 10 V power and not more than this. There is also a possibility that the battery doesn't work properly and affects the device in which you inserted it. Replacing the 0-voltage lithium-ion battery is the only option if you don't want to face any further loss. 

Bad External Short Circuit

If your battery has a dead cell inside, how will it show any voltage? Well, it happens when a bad external short circuit takes place. The battery might not get the right amount of power, or maybe the power was too much to handle for the battery. These are the two reasons that the short circuit took place. 

Once the battery shows zero voltage, that means the battery is damaged due to the short circuit. Therefore, even if you try your best and successfully revive the battery, it would be a waste.

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The charger didn't work.

The battery died because you didn't charge it at the required time. You might have attached the charger to the battery, but did you notice whether the charger was charging the battery or not? It sometimes happens that you attach the battery to the charger, but there might be a problem, and it doesn't charge the battery.

If you always charge your lithium-ion battery when it is near to getting dead, the faulty charger might be why your battery is showing zero voltage. It is quite obvious that if you don't charge the battery and keep using it, then it will lose its efficiency and it might suddenly stop working. 

Causes of Zero Voltage in lithium batteries

Are you noticing that your lithium-ion battery's voltage is dropping at speed? Well, there is a possibility, and a point might come where you will read zero voltage in a lithium battery. It means there is no power left inside the batteries. Following are a few possible reasons why your lithium batteries are showing zero voltage:

Hibernation Mode under 2 Volts

There is a hibernation mode in lithium-ion batteries that you might not know about. Well, a battery doesn't show zero voltage all of a sudden if there has not been any other problem happened to it. It is draining if the battery shows 2 volts or under 2, and you need to recharge it.

At 2 volts, the battery gets into hibernation mode, and there is nothing to worry about this mode. You can recharge the battery, and it will start working, but once it gets to zero, you might not be able to revive it. 

Short Circuit

A short circuit is a major reason your lithium-ion battery shows zero voltage. The battery might have a dead cell, and you won't be able to fix this. A short circuit happens because of the fluctuation in the power supply, or maybe there was already a problem with the battery, and now it stopped working. 

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It will never get recharged to its maximum power capacity, or maybe it doesn't get recharged. 

Didn't charge on time.

If you have been using the battery but not charging it, its performance will be affected. The battery will show low voltage, which might show zero voltage. It is important to recharge the battery on time; otherwise, zero voltage situations will happen.

 Even if you try to revive and recharge a lithium-ion battery at zero voltage, then it will only get charged to 10.5V or even reach 12.4V but not more than this, then the battery is already sulfated. 

Why does my lithium-ion battery voltage drop?

Is your lithium-ion battery voltage dropping even if you have been charging it on time? Here are a few factors that might help you understand why your lithium-ion battery voltage dropped:

Aging is a factor.

Every battery has a lifespan; once it reaches its age, its performance will not be the same. Aging is a big factor because your lithium-ion battery voltage drops fast after you unplug the charger. There is no solution for this situation other than replacing the battery.

After Unplugging the Charger

It is known that the battery will show full voltage once it gets fully charged. The minute you unplug the charger, maybe the voltage drops a little. It might happen because of the aging factor, or maybe the battery does have this built-in fault. 

Mismatched Charger

If the charger does not match your lithium-ion battery, it will not get charged properly. It would be a mismatch if you haven't used the right charger, and you can imagine the outcome. The charger will not charge the battery; whenever you unplug it, the voltage will drop. 

There is only one way to sort out this situation: to get the right charger that matches your lithium-ion batteries.

Final Words:

Now you know why your lithium-ion battery shows zero voltage even after you fully charge it. If there has been a short circuit, then sooner or later, you will have to replace the battery. Otherwise, you can try reviving your lithium-ion battery, but the chances are thin that it will work at its best.