Lithium golf cart batteries in cold weather

1,409 Published by BSLBATT Apr 12,2024

The impact of cold weather on Golf cart lithium batteries

The truth is, lithium batteries perform much better in cold conditions than other battery types, but you’ll still want to take care of them because they’re pricey.

Your battery can survive and thrive this winter with the right precautions. First, we need to understand why batteries need to be protected from harsh environments.

Batteries store and release energy. These functions can be hindered by cold weather. It takes batteries a few minutes to warm up after being outdoors, just like your body.

The internal resistance of the battery will increase at low temperatures. As a result, the battery’s capacity is reduced. Low temperatures result in batteries releasing less energy or retaining less charge.

As a result, you’ll need to charge your batteries more frequently during the winter. Battery life only includes a certain number of charge cycles. It’s something you want to save, not waste.

Will cold weather affect the life of lithium batteries?

Lithium deep cycle batteries from BSLbatt are rated for 3,000 to 5,000 cycles. Lead acid lasts about 400 cycles, so you should be more careful with those cycles.

The bslbatt Lifepo4 batteries can be used in any weather condition, ranging from -4°F to 140°F. Lithium batteries are an excellent choice for off-grid solar, RV and campervan owners who live in extremely cold conditions. Battery owners should be aware of the harmful effects of low temperatures on their batteries.

The cold can seriously affect the health and longevity of lead-acid batteries. Lead-acid batteries perform much worse at lower temperatures than lithium batteries.

The more power you remove from a lead-acid battery at low temperatures, the weaker it becomes. During use, LFP batteries heat up, lowering their resistance and increasing their voltage.

Lithium batteries are the clear winner in cold weather when it comes to upgrading or overcoming battery problems.

Even lithium batteries can be affected by cold weather. At temperatures below 32 °F, lead acid will have a reduced efficiency and usable capacity, providing only 70-80% of its rated capacity. Lithium batteries can deliver 95-98% of capacity at the same temperature with minimal losses.

Anode (the battery’s negative terminal) consists of porous graphite that absorbs lithium ions when charged above freezing. Anodes cannot effectively capture lithium ions below freezing point. Rather, lithium ions coat the anode surface, a process called lithium plating, which means less lithium is available to cause current to flow, resulting in a lower battery capacity.

It can also cause the battery to become less mechanically stable and more prone to sudden failure if it is charged below freezing at an inappropriate rate.

As lithium ions “work” inside the graphite anode, they become disoriented under cryocharge conditions. Anode surfaces are not embedded with these ions, but rather plated with them.

Charging in freezing temperatures can lead to plating, which reduces battery capacity and increases resistance. An accumulation of plating inside the battery can puncture the separator and cause a dangerous short circuit.

Can golf cart lithium batteries be charged in Cold Weather?

Of course, lithium batteries can handle a wider temperature range. BSLbatt’s professional chargers heat the battery when the battery temperature is below 32°F (0℃) and do not charge the battery until the battery temperature is above 32°F (0℃). When it reaches 5°C, stop heating and continue charging.

Cold Weather Golf Cart Lithium Battery Storage

1. Make sure the vehicle is clean

2. Make sure the vehicle is parked in a covered and dry area

3. Make sure the battery is fully charged

4. Unplug the battery cable

5. Make sure the tires are inflated

6. Remove the key by turning the switch to the OFF position

7. Set the power switch under the seat to TOW

What are the best golf cart lithium batteries for cold weather?

Battery Series BSLbatt lithium batteries provide cold weather performance, allowing continuous charging at temperatures down to -4 degrees Fahrenheit without reducing current. Lithium-ion batteries are permanently damaged when charged at sub-freezing temperatures.

In the past, the only way to prevent this problem was to allow the battery to reach above-freezing temperatures before charging due to the lack of a battery management system (BMS).

You can do this by bringing them into a warm environment or insulating them in some way by wrapping them in a thermal blanket.

Using a dedicated heating element, the BSLbatt battery range performs well in cold weather environments. We offer 48V 105Ah and 36V 105Ah lithium batteries with the same size and performance as popular golf cart batteries, but with extra cold weather performance. RVs, off-grid solar, electric vehicles, and any application that requires cooler temperatures to charge are ideal applications for this battery.

We offer a variety of BSL Series models that are ideal for small camping or overland adventure applications, recreational vehicles, or stationary applications.