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Winter weather can be brutal on car batteries. As the weather gets cold, it can become more difficult for them to get enough power to start your vehicle. At the same time, the low temperatures reduce their capacity and make them slower to recharge, compounding the problem and sometimes leaving you stranded in the cold when they won’t start.
Fortunately, we have some great practical ways to keep batteries functioning at their best throughout the cold months, ensuring you’re not caught off guard when the temperature drops.
What Temperature Is Too Cold for a Car Battery?
Different battery chemistries perform better or worse in the cold. Most vehicles use traditional lead-acid models, which often perform poorly when the temperatures drop. However, you can get deep-cycle batteries like AGM (Absorbant Glass Matt) models that are more resistant to the cold, recharge faster, and discharge slower.
Still, what temperature is just too cold is not a simple answer, as it all depends on the model and how fully charged it is. A partially discharged lead-acid or AGM model can both start freezing at temperatures as high as 32°F, just when water begins to freeze.
A fully charged lead-acid model may freeze by around -40°F, while an AGM might not freeze until around -75°F since it doesn’t use liquids.
How Does the Cold Affect Car Batteries?
Let’s look at the main reasons why cold weather affects vehicle batteries.
Reduces Capacity
One of the main issues is that vehicle batteries rely on chemical reactions to work. When the temperature drops, chemical reactions slow because the ions move more slowly, reducing their capacity. Most models will lose about 20% of their capacity when the temperature drops to around 32°F. By -22°F, they typically drop by about 50%.
Thicker Oil
The other main problem that causes them to perform poorly in cold weather is that they have to work harder while simultaneously having less capacity to do work. It’s because low temperatures make your vehicle’s engine oil thicken, which makes the batteries work even harder to activate the starter motor and crank the engine.
Increased Power Demand
Another issue is that batteries are used to start your car as well as to run your accessories. When you use window defrosters and wipers and run your heater, this increases the power demand, making them recharge more slowly since more power is continuously drawn.
Reduced Charge Rate
The final major problem is that batteries have a slower recharge rate the colder they get because of those slower chemical reactions, making it take more time for your alternator to recharge them. If you just went on a short drive the last time you used it, it won’t be at full capacity, making it more likely to get fully drained the next time you try to start it, leaving you stranded in the cold.
Can a Frozen Car Battery Be Recovered?
Lead-acid batteries contain a liquid sulfuric acid solution, and when they freeze, the liquid expands, warping the lead plates inside and even causing the case to crack.
If your battery is bulging or cracked, or even if you see frost on it, do not start your engine. You risk having it explode under your hood. Besides, if the case is already cracked, there is no saving it.
However, if it’s not cracked, take it out and place it in a warmer location, allowing it to thaw on its own; never add heat. Once thawed, put it back in your vehicle and see if the dashboard lights come on. If you can start it, make sure you run it for at least 30 minutes to allow it to recharge fully. If it doesn’t work, you probably need a new one.
How To Keep a Car Battery From Dying in Cold Weather
To prevent your battery from dying in cold weather, it’s all about maintenance and understanding how to use your vehicle to keep it fully charged. Here are some great tips to keep you going when the temperatures drop!
Vehicle Battery Maintenance
Maintenance is essential to keeping batteries working. One thing you should do is check for corrosion, which appears as white powder on your terminals. Corrosion creates electrical resistance and makes batteries work harder than they should. You can use a small wire brush to scrub the corrosion off, then rinse it with distilled water and dry your terminals.
Another thing you can do is use the battery maintenance mode on your EcoFlow 800W Alternator Charger to help extend the battery’s lifespan. Normally, you use this handy gadget to charge your portable power stations while you drive to recharge them up to 8 times faster than using your car cigarette lighter.
In maintenance mode, however, it uses a lower electrical current in the reverse direction, drawing power from your EcoFlow DELTA 2 Max, so it continually tops up vehicle batteries as you drive, helping supplement what it’s getting from the alternator.
Keep Your Battery Charged
Keeping your battery fully charged is critical since batteries freeze up much faster when partially or fully discharged. If you turn your key and hear it struggle to start, it’s time to pull out the car charger to give it more capacity to start your engine.
There are multiple ways to do this, but the easiest way is to run your EcoFlow 800W Alternator Charger in reverse charging mode. Then, it draws more power from your EcoFlow DELTA Pro 3 to recharge your vehicle quickly and get you back on the road.
If you have an EV, you can also use solar panels to charge your batteries, saving the cost of public charging stations. Since solar power works anytime the sun is shining, even in winter, it’s free power all year.
Limit Your Use of Accessories
Winter is cold, so it’s tempting to crank up the heat when you get in. However, every accessory you use puts an extra drain on batteries. Let your alternator charge before you turn on the heat, lights, radio, or start charging your phone.
When you leave the car, ensure all those accessories are turned off so there is less power demand immediately upon restarting it.
Avoid Short Drives
Because batteries have a lower capacity in the cold and recharge slower, your alternator won’t have time to recharge it fully if you only drive short distances. Ideally, you should drive your car for 30 minutes continuously once a week. Even 10 or 15 minutes can help if you don’t need headlights or accessories running.
Park in Warm Places
Ideally, park your car in a heated or even unheated garage. However, any sheltered spot will help protect it from the cold and prolong its lifespan.
Battery Blanket
If you don’t have access to a warm parking spot, use a battery blanket. It uses electricity to keep the fluids from freezing up. All you need is access to an electrical outlet or plug it into your EcoFlow DELTA 2 Max if you can’t access power outside. It’s best to put the blanket on it as soon as you turn off the engine. But don’t forget to remove it before you start your engine again.
Frequently Asked Questions
Covering it with a special battery blanket can help prolong its lifespan and prevent you from being stranded in the cold. However, even a towel placed on it when you turn your motor off helps. In either case, don’t forget to remove it before starting your car.
Final Thoughts
In winter, maintaining your battery and avoiding unnecessary power drains can significantly prolong its lifespan and keep you on the road. Limiting short drives, parking in warm places, and using a battery blanket are good tips to prevent dead batteries when the temperatures plummet.
However, for the best results, invest in tools that keep them charged and protected, like the EcoFlow 800W Alternator Charger. Then, you will always be ready to start your engine, no matter how cold it gets.