Does Cold Weather Affect Lithium Ion Batteries – Safety and Effect

You may have heard that the best way to store batteries is in freezing temperatures. That is just about storage. Things can be a bit different where charging and usage are involved.

We recently came across a post concerning a phone that went off itself. The "cold battery" alert should be on the screen before going off.

Cold temperature, like extreme heat, affects batteries and the general performance of your device. And we are going to discuss how in this guide.

How Does Temperature Affect Lithium-ion Batteries?

The adoption of energy storage technology continues to grow in many parts of the world. Batteries have become very crucial in every aspect of life as most people rely on portable devices.

Lithium-ion is the most popular battery technology today. The batteries are considered to offer better performance both in terms of capacity and durability.

As this industry continues to surge, one big factor has always been a primary concern. Temperature. Both hot and cold environments significantly impact the lifecycle, depth of discharge, performance, and safety of the li-on battery.

Because the weather is becoming more and more unpredictable today, learning about this topic is very important. Visit any part of the world, and you will not miss on issues to do with temperature.

You can get more from your gadget if you know how to protect it. Some of these issues can be resolved without having to visit a repair shop. You just need to know what happens when the phone gets too hot or too cold.

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Heat

Heat is one of the biggest enemies to batteries' performance and general safety. If you have tried traveling with extra batteries, you will realize it's quite hard to get them into an aircraft. Also, you will be advised to ensure your device is always off.

Hot environments increase the chemical reactions taking place inside the battery. This reduces the performance and capacity of your batteries, making them less effective.

Studies have found that temperature rise from 77 degrees F to 113 degrees F reduces the maximum storage of li-ion batteries by 20%. The more you expose the battery to such conditions, the less effective it becomes. The biggest effect is on the lifecycle of the battery, which reduces significantly.

Charging a battery at higher temperatures causes more damage to its lifespan than at lower temperatures. At 113 degrees F, your battery's degradation may increase by more than 7%. You can avoid this by ensuring your device always operates under optimum conditions.

Cold

Most people assume that it's only heat that affects batteries negatively. While heat has the most adverse effects, cold conditions have a huge impact on battery performance and safety.

Low temperatures cause an increase in the internal resistance of the battery. This is to say; the battery will struggle a lot more to charge than if the conditions were more favorable.

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Because the battery is struggling to charge, its capacity is adversely affected. The rate of effect also depends on the charge and discharge rates. Faster rates mean the battery loses capacity much faster.

Lithium-ion batteries handle lower temperatures much better than other types. You can charge them anywhere from 32 degrees F to 113 degrees F and discharge them from -4 degrees F to 140 degrees F.?

Still, running at such high or low temperatures puts your battery at a huge risk of damage.

How to Store Lithium-ion Batteries Safely

We all have batteries that sometimes we don't use very much. Storing such batteries may seem easy, but there is more to it than meets the eye.

Consider the following to ensure absolute safety.

Charge your battery to less than 50%.

Batteries lose their capacity due to charging and discharging cycles. As stated above, all batteries operate via chemical reactions. When a battery is at 100%, its chemical reaction is much higher. The same happens when the charge is below 15%.

Whether in storage or in use, the reactions keep happening. Storing the batteries at 50% reduces the chemical reaction, making them last much longer.

Keep them at low temperatures.

Storing batteries under freezing conditions can increase their lifespan. Under such conditions, batteries have a higher internal resistance, which remains so as long as you don't try to charge or use the cold batteries. Before charging, ensure they are restored to room temperature.

Keep the terminals separate.

?A short circuit can happen if battery terminals get in touch with each other. Hence, it's advisable that you use clear tape to cover the terminals of each battery. This is especially important if you are storing many batteries together.

Separate them by age.

The organization is required when it comes to safely store batteries. If you have old and new li-ion batteries, ensure they are separated when storing. The weakest batteries limit the performance of your device, and you don't want them mingling with newer ones.

Lithium-ion Battery Cold Damage

Never charge lithium-ion batteries when they are below 0C or 32F. At this point, there is too much internal resistance in the battery. That means the chemical reaction does not happen as fast as it should.

Forcing them to charge cause the lithium to release IIRC. At this point, the battery becomes dangerous and unsafe for people. It's very easy for such batteries to explode and cause damage.

When you store batteries in the fridge, you need to warm them up before using them. Charging cold batteries can cause a sudden reaction that may reduce their capacity significantly.

The rate of the effect depends on the charging and discharging rate. Some Li-ion batteries can be charged at freezing temperatures. However, you will need to reduce the charging rate significantly. It is impossible to discharge such batteries since it can lead to permanent damage.

Always warm up the battery before using. Charging extremely slowly is ok, but you will have to wait a very long time to get full. Using normal chargers may not be applicable here, especially if the charger is not initially designed for the device.

Batteries are expensive. That is why you need to take very good care of them. We hope now you understand about cold damage and you can use your batteries under better conditions.