• Battery Charging at High and Low Temperatures

    Although batteries are designed to charge and operate at a wide range of temperatures. For safety and maintaining the battery conditions at optimum level, it is recommended charging batteries at an ideal temperature.

     

    Charging fast for most batteries requires a temperature range between 5’c to 45’c. Even better, if we can narrowed down to 10’c to 30’c. The capacity to recombine oxygen and hydrogen declines when charging nickel-based batteries below 5’c. To retain the ability to charge quickly regardless of the temperature, some industrial batteries add a thermal blanket, this heats the battery back to an appropriate temperature for the battery to charge optimally.

     

    Charging nickel-based batteries at higher temperature lowers oxygen generation which reduces charge acceptance. High temperatures actually tricks the battery into thinking it is already fully charged when it is not. Lithium-ion operates very well at elevated temperatures, but long exposures to high heat will shorten the battery lifespan. When you are charging and discharging at an elevated temperature, it causes gas generation that can potentially cause a cylindrical cell to vent and a pouch cell to swell up. It is common to find chargers that halts charging over 50’c.