It is no secret that automotive battery performance and lifespan are greatly affected by temperature.Most people believe cold weather is what kills the battery, but it ishot weather that shortens the lifespan of the battery.Whenthe battery gets cold, the chemical reactions are slowed.Slower chemical reactions canprolongthe useful life of a battery by slowing the degradation of normal usage over time. However, slower chemical reactions also mean lower battery output capability.Therefore, when it gets cold fast, it appears like your battery instantaneously stops working.But in truth, the cold weather is simply exposing underlying degradation issues.
What happens to batteries in hot temperatures?
In short,hot temperaturesshorten the lifespan of the battery.The temperature dependence of chemical reactions is defined by the Arrhenius equation. But more simply put, asthe temperature increases so does the speed of the chemical reactions within the battery.The increase in chemical reaction speed can increase the output of the battery, butalsoincreases the speed of battery degradation. This resultsinregional differences in battery lifespan due todifferences inclimate region to region.Assuming normal usage, the regional impact of battery life expectancy will directionally look like the example below:
Estimated battery life based on temperature
Regional climate
Battery life expectancy
Cold
55 months
Mild
45 months
Hot
40 months
Extreme Hot
30 months
The model above assumes normalusage;however, vehicle usage has been drastically reduced due to the COVID-19 pandemic.Vehicles that are normally driven daily, are spending abnormal amounts of time inside extremely hot garages. Constant self-discharge is a fact of life for all batteries.At normal temperatures, a conventional fully charged battery will lose around 1/100 of a volt per day.Stored for a month, and the battery will lose about a third of its charge.
The self-discharge rate increases as the temperature increases, due to the increasedspeed of chemical reactions within the battery. Irreversible damage(sulfation)occurswithina battery when stored at low states of charge (below 80% state of charge).Paste shedding, buckling, and other physical defects arealsomore likely to occurto batteriesstored at hightemperatures. Therefore,one can expect that decreasing usage during a hot summer (as is with the COVID-19 pandemic) will lead to abnormally high occurrences of batteries stored in a low state of charge.This will undoubtedly reduce the lifespan of batteries.
Do regular preventative battery testing
If you are getting an oil changeon acar that has been sitting due to COVID-19,askthe technicianto test your battery.If you have a car sitting in a garage with lower than normal usageyou may want to considerinvesting in a battery maintainer or charger.Or if you are servicing customers in a garagebe sure to test every batterythat comes through.Routine battery maintenance will be essential to ensuring you and/or your customers’ batteries perform when they need to.
Whilst buckling, paste shedding are some of obvious physical defects that occur in hotter weather, something far more sinister is bubbling below the surface. As temperatures increase, so does the speed of the chemical reactions within our automotive batteries.
Internal evaporation: Your car battery relies on electrolytes (typically water and sulfuric acid) to fuel its internal chemical process. These vital liquids begin to evaporate in the summer heat. Without these fluids, your battery will inevitably begin to fail.
Even though battery capacity at high temperatures is higher, battery life is shortened. Battery capacity is reduced by 50% at -22 degrees F – but battery LIFE increases by about 60%. Battery life is reduced at higher temperatures – for every 15 degrees F over 77, battery life is cut in half.
In cool climates, a car battery typically lasts 5 years or longer, but in hot climates, it's only 3. Many Floridians aren't aware of the shortened lifespan and panic when their battery dies long before the 5-year mark.
It really depends on the cell chemistry, but as a general rule of thumb you don't want to go above 35°C (95°F), and you should expect permanent damage to some extent at 50°C (122°F) and above.
Contrary to popular belief, high summertime temperatures pose a greater threat to battery longevity than wintertime lows. That's because, while battery capacity is higher in the heat, high temperatures shorten overall battery life.
Temperatures above 25ºC (77ºF) will slightly increase capacity, but also will increase self-discharge and shorten battery life. Major problems occur at temperature extremes. This is the range below 4ºC (40ºF) and above 38ºC (100ºF).
Are batteries affected by temperature? We recommend storing batteries at room temperature in a dry environment. Extreme heat or cold reduces battery performance. You'll want to avoid putting battery-powered devices in very warm places.
Hot climates (like the one we live in here in Orlando, sorry) tend to take a harder toll on car batteries than cool climates. High temps can cause accelerated corrosion inside of the battery and also cause water to evaporate out of the battery's liquid electrolytes.
The freezing point of a typical car battery electrolyte is about -40 F, so it is important to ensure that your battery is not exposed to temperatures below this point. If the temperature drops below freezing, the electrolyte in the battery will freeze and expand, which can cause the battery to crack or rupture.
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