Does temperature affect battery life?

All the batteries around us are usually designed, created, and tested under lab conditions. Unless a battery is designed to handle extreme temperature conditions, it works under normal conditions, which can sometimes be problematic for users. 

People don't consider the difference when taking a regular battery in extreme conditions. Most of the time, that battery fails to perform.

How does temperature affect the battery life experiment?

Now that you know that temperature can affect the life of a battery, you must also know how it affects it. However, to understand that, you must first learn the working principles of a battery. The batteries work on the principle of storing charges in their plates.

When you connect them to a charger, the electrons accumulate; when the battery is connected to a load, those electrons start flowing. How temperature affects battery life is that it decreases or completely blocks the path of flow of electrons through the battery.

How does cold weather affect battery life?

Say you have a battery designed to work under normal temperatures and take it in cold weather. The electrons inside it will not have to push with higher power since colder temperature hinders the movement of charges. When the temperature reaches 32 degrees Fahrenheit, the battery will lose around 30% of its total power due to this phenomenon.

Similarly, when the temperature drops to 0 degrees Fahrenheit, the battery will lose around 60% of its total. At this point, not only will the battery lose its charge, but the chances of causing permanent physical damage also significantly increase under such temperatures.

How does hot weather affect battery life?

When the temperatures go above the comfortable working range for a battery, it can also affect the battery's life. According to physics, a higher temperature improves the flow of electrons, but this higher flow also means that the chemical reactions inside your battery will be faster.

3.2V 20A Low Temp LiFePO4 Battery Cell -40℃ 3C discharge capacity≥70% Charging temperature：-20~45℃ Discharging temperature: -40~+55℃ pass acupuncture test -40℃ maximum discharge rate：3C

READ MORE

As a result, the battery may face premature failure. In the case of lead-acid batteries, a higher temperature may make the liquids from inside evaporate and keep using such a battery will permanently damage it.

Lithium-ion Battery vs. Temperature

Lithium-ion batteries are the most commonly used batteries today. These are present in technically everything around us, including smartphones and laptops. Most people don't know that these batteries also have an optimal temperature range under which they may comfortably operate. The temperature range for lithium-ion batteries ranges between -4 degrees Fahrenheit and 60 degrees Fahrenheit.

Lithium-ion Batteries vs. Cold Temperature

Cold temperature has similar effects on the lithium-ion battery as on other batteries. When the lithium-ion battery is exposed to cold temperatures for a long time, it will lose its capacity, and its charging will also decrease. It will result from the cold temperature slows down the chemical reactions inside the battery. If you quickly bring the battery to normal temperatures, it may start working normally again.

However, if left under unfriendly temperatures for a long, the battery performance will permanently degrade.

Lithium-ion Batteries vs. Hot Temperature

Exposure to unwanted high-temperature levels can also affect lithium-ion batteries. The battery will start losing capacity when exposed to temperatures over 140 degrees Fahrenheit. So, removing the battery from under high heat is recommended as early as possible.

Otherwise, its life cycle and capacity can get permanent damage. If the lithium-ion battery is left in extreme heat conditions for a very long time, its performance, capacity, and life will severely degrade with permanent effects.

Low Temperature High Energy Density Rugged Laptop Polymer Battery Battery specification: 11.1V 7800mAh -40℃ 0.2C discharge capacity ≥80% Dustproof, resistance to dropping, anti - corrosion, anti - electromagnetic interference

READ MORE

Dangers of Extreme Temperatures

The lithium-ion batteries are not known as very safe and reliable batteries. These swell up, catch fire, and even explode with little physical damage. That damage can also come from the external temperature that makes the physical structure of batteries unreliable, causing them to catch fire or explode. These batteries are only good in their normal working temperature range.

Do batteries last longer in cold or heat?

As extreme temperatures are not good for batteries, people often ask which side of the gauge makes batteries last comparatively longer. There could be several ideas about it, considering different battery types. However, if we consider the normally used batteries with a normal operating temperature range, here is what we will find:

Do batteries last longer in cold conditions?

Extreme cold weather hinders the tendency of batteries to hold a charge. Batteries find it difficult to charge, and their capacity also decreases. All of this happens because the batteries' chemical reactions are slowed down.

However, the interesting fact here is that if we do not decrease the temperature so low that it causes permanent damage to the battery and we never leave the battery unattended, i.e., manage its charging requirements, and we can prolong its life. It is because this way, we leverage the slow chemical reaction to our benefit.

Do batteries last longer in hot conditions?

Excessive heat is in no way better for the life or performance of a battery. People often think that hot weather is good for the functioning of batteries, but it shortens the life of batteries. For example, if you have a lead acid battery, the battery will permanently lose half of its life for every 15 degrees increase in temperature after 77 degrees Fahrenheit.

It applies to Gel and AGM batteries as long as they have acid due to the high rate of chemical reactions and evaporation rate changes. So, operating your batteries in both cold and hot conditions will bring some damage to them. However, cold conditions are a little more favorable since you can benefit from trickle charging and indoor heating solutions to maintain a feasible and safe temperature range for the battery.

Conclusion

You must never use batteries in extreme weather conditions until the battery is designed to deal with extreme temperatures. The most common batteries around us are lithium ion and lead acid batteries, designed only for normal temperature ranges. These batteries often lose their performance and charging when taken into extreme temperatures.  

So, if you often deal with such conditions, get a battery that is made to deal with it, and be very careful with all other batteries.