Why does high temperature impact the battery's charging and safety?

During summer, battery charging and fire accidents occur frequently. New energy vehicle drivers should pay more attention to battery safety when charging in high temperatures.

Here are 5 major influences of high temperature on lithium-ion batteries.

1. Shorten Battery Life

High temperature accelerates electrolyte evaporation. The internal temperature of the battery can rise to over 50°C during charging.

Combined with high temperature, the battery's electrolyte vaporizes faster, causing bulging and deformation, shortening battery service life.

Damage to material structure. Lithium batteries will face problems such as structural damage to and decomposition of the SEI film at high temperatures, accelerating battery capacity decay.

2. Increase Battery Safety Risk

Thermal runaway. ‌High-temperature charging causes the internal temperature of lithium batteries to exceed the critical point. For example, the thermal runaway temperature of ternary lithium batteries drops to 150°C.

Short circuit. High temperature exposure accelerates the aging of chargers, and the temperature of metal parts of the vehicle body can reach above 50°C, which may burn the power cord or cause a short circuit.

3. Shorten Battery Life

A high temperature environment will reduce the battery life by more than 30%. However, a high-temperature LiFePO4 battery pack can operate from -40°C to 85°C. But continuous high temperatures will cause a decrease in battery capacity.

So, how to deal with it? Thus, it is vital to a custom lithium battery pack with a smart battery management system (BMS) to protect the battery from overcharging at high temperatures.

4. Frequent Abnormal Charging

In high-temperature s, the charger faces thermal runaway, causing the charging indicator to fail to turn green normally, which manifests as a "false charge" phenomenon.

In extreme cases, the battery temperature exceeding 70°C may directly trigger the protection mechanism to stop charging.

5. Other Negative Effects

Charging habits are forced to change: Charging time needs to be shortened. Lead-acid batteries charge in 6-8 hours, and lithium batteries charge in 4-6 hours. Unattended charging at night should be avoided.

Storage requirements are improved: Storing a fully charged battery in a high temperature environment for 1 month will increase the battery capacity decay rate by 5 times.

It is recommended to keep the battery at 50%-70% when parking for a long time.

How to charge batteries in high-temperature conditions?

First, charging battery in the shade: Try to park the electric bicycle in a cool and ventilated place for charging, and avoid charging directly under the sun. Dissipate heat.

Ensure that the charging environment has good ventilation so that the battery can effectively dissipate heat during charging.

Second, control battery charging time and avoid overcharging. Charging time in summer should not be too long, and it is great to control it within 6-8 hours.

You can use a timer socket or set an alarm to remind yourself to unplug the charger in time after charging is completed. Overcharging will cause a lot of heat to be generated inside the battery, which will cause the battery to overheat.

Third, use the original charger to charge. Use the original charger of the electric bicycle to charge, because the original charger is most compatible with the battery and can handle the heat generated during this charging process.

Finally, pay attention to your battery lifespan and maintenance. Batteries have a service life. When battery performance deteriorates or swelling occurs, you should replace the battery with a new one.

Check the battery status regularly, including whether the battery shell is damaged or battery fluid is leaking, and ensure that the battery is in great working condition.

In a nutshell, to avoid these potential problems at the root, drivers should be aware of maintaining batteries in high-temperature conditions