Can Lithium Ion Batteries Freeze?

[@txvet7738]

A lil chilly for you , “Hell has frozen over” for me in Texas…lol! I treat my batteries like if they were me, if I’m cold then they are cold and vice versa. Do that and you can’t go wrong!

[@garymiller5937]

Thanks for the info Jeff! Batteries are certainly too expensive not to take care of properly. And I don't see how you can stand -29 degree weather. You're a better man than I! 😊😊😊❤❤❤

[@PhillyFixed]

I just bought that $37 DCK drill kit on Amazon. Is it okay to let my DCK get cold? Will it hurt my DCK's performance?

[@phillyfathead]

😂🤣😆

[@IMPACT-NATION]

😂😂😂. Well I will say if you were an influencer 😂😂 you could have got the DCK new years combo gift set for free. All you need to do is produce 15 long forms, 8 reels/shorts, and if you’re feeling froggy a minimum of 5 stories. PS: My DCK likes a few good warm up strokes before reaching climax performance 😂😂😂

[@Glocktard]

I see what you did there 🤔👍

[@PhillyFixed]

@@phillyfathead yeah that sounds like a typical DCK move 😅

[@Clawson_customs]

As coal miner here in Utah I use batt power stuff alot and it seems to hate cold temperatures like 0 to 12 degrees f hurts them

[@DrewsBackYardMechanics]

I would mostly be worried about condensation on the circuit board or cells & possibly causing them to short.

[@kwjr.9569]

Great video! It's definitely informative for people who don't know or understand batteries in cold temperatures.

[@sdavidb5620]

At work yesterday. Our truck indicated a temp of -4. Cold enough to shut down the iPhone. We were running lags into frozen ties. The 12 amp hour Milwaukees were not doing well in the cold. Used up all 4 in 30 minutes. Back on the charger. They went back to full charge as soon as they warmed up in the cab. I think next time I may tape some hand warmers on them.

[@seamasrigh2162]

My work room is unheated. In Flagstaff, 0 or below is not unheard of nor uncommon. Most of the winter is below freezing during the day. I stopped keeping my battery power tools and rechargeable flashlights out there in the work room. I store them all in the house, I charge them there too. When I need them I take 'em out but as a rule I keep them above 60. It works for me. So do they.

[@1D10CRACY]

Pretty spot on! Well done and easy to follow explanations. It's a shame our tools batteries do not self heat and cool like an EV, but then our tool chargers would fail and we would be on the news with Tesla. :D

[@George-pg2ii]

Great video. Info confirms what I have discovered in bits and pieces that I've been wondering about. If only I had seen this first...

[@WaltWW]

I know one thing, it’s too dang cold right now.

[@Randomwesternredneckguy]

My DeWalt batteries didn't appreciate the sub zero weather last week. Should've brought the batteries in for a couple hours first. They were still fully charged, but had about 15% of normal oomph.

[@binbashbuddy]

Wind chill only affects heat producing objects like warm blooded animals or running machinery. A tree or rock isn't affected by wind chill unless something external is warming it, then it will cool faster if there's wind but will still only get down to the ambient temperature. Pretty sure you knew that, but in case someone else doesn't.

[@GeekTranslation]

I lost my Galaxy S3 Frontier watch for the past 3 months. I have torn the house apart looking for it. I gave up a month ago and bought another watch. Today I found it at the bottom of the deep freezer. It is powered by a lithium battery. I took it and directly dropped it into the charger from the freezer. It charged and works with absolutely the same as before. temp in my freezer is -20 C or -4 F... And it sat like that for 3 months! Not the experiment I was looking to do, but good to know. Thanks for the vid...

[@brianbowman5402]

I have 18V Makita and 12V Milwaukee. I also have some knockoff batteries for both. The knockoff batteries show a clear drop in colder weather in Minnesota. Otherwise, I see little to no effects on the name brand batteries. I use them at least weekly, but not every day.

[@WileyT223]

Funny I just tested the Milwaukee Hi-torque stored in truck at negatives F or the past week. Ran good with H.O. 8Ah sitting with the Emergency Casoman lug nut set. Hope I never need it... Roadside essentials. Stay warm All

[@Ron_Lockwood]

Thanks for the content. I enjoy your channel.❤

[@sbristol9741]

Hello from the UK A great video and lots of sound advice and information. All lithium batteries will be different with regards to the safety. I have recently purchased 2 Einhell 18v 3 Amp POWER X-CHANGE Lithium batteries. The safety advice from Einhell says that if the temperature drops below zero for more than 60 minutes- do not use the batteries. Have a great Christmas and all the best for the New Year.

[@fyler1]

I absolutely love the memes sprinkled in for comedic effect! Great information as usual Mr. Tool Bear!

[@beammeupscotty9874]

This was really helpful. Thank you Bear.

[@drewd6083]

What about the multiport chargers like ryobi that holds 6 or 8 batteries at once, but dont charge all the time? I keep my batteries on one in the garage pluged in 247.

[@ckherring82]

I keep mine either indoors or in truck because I still remember minus 18 degrees and the batteries couldn't power anything. A nonfully charged one can drop below sensors and be locked out from charging etc.

[@jdbeernfishing2916]

I have a question? Will a OB2 Scanner tell me what service my car needs when it shows on the dashboard each day a countdown to 30 days 29 days 28 days and so on to the next service ? And if so, which one would you recommend that I get. Thank you.

[@skunkworks9-3]

I've left my Ridgid octane impact and battery in my car during the winter for 3 years now and I haven't had any problems. Actually keep one of their newer high output and octanes in the car with the impact and tire inflator this year. Also have my hulkman jumppack in the car as well. I just try to warm up the tool/battery some before use if I can

[@jamesduncan3673]

Nice timing. A couple days ago I was trying to use my little Ryobi snow-blower attachment to clear the driveway, but the snow was just too heavy. So I leaned it up against the front porch while I shoveled by hand. Afterwards I tried to start it up, and it kinda choked. When I took it back inside and threw it on the charger I got an error message. After letting it warm up for a while, though, it charged just fine. If I remember correctly, the temp was about 10-12F, so about -12C, at the time.

[@steveRBForge]

I’m in Colorado, not Montana cold. My shop get down to the high 20s over night. I heat the shop to over 30 before I work with my Ryobi tools. I can tell you the batteries don’t like charging at that temperature. Looks like I need to bring the charger in out of the cold.

[@thepitpatrol]

Thank you sir!

[@MrEQ2009]

Thanks

[@jameskennedy673]

👏👏. With that weather, you need some “ Shine” to keep you warm🙂

[@mramseyISU]

Bear - I've been working in this space for about 6 months now doing vehicle level energy management. First thing I'd say is ambient air temp doesn't really matter, what matters is how hot or cold are the battery cells. The range where the batteries work vs doesn't work is dependent on what the cells are capable of and what nanny features are in the battery management system. As far as specifics I'd break it down in 3 different scenarios like you're doing. Storage is pretty easy, cold is fine, hot isn't but unless you're in a hot metal shed that hot isn't something I'd worry a lot about. Generally speaking I'd say battery cells want to run between 10C - 45C (50F-110F), they're function outside of that but the C rates (charge/discharge rates) will start dropping. The cells I'm familiar with will discharge as cold as -20C (-5F) and stop taking a charge at 0C (32F). On the flip side of that you can charge and discharge the batteries as long as you keep the cells under 50C (122F). My disclaimer is that different cells (Samsung, LG, Panasonic, ect) and each battery manufacturer will set those limits differently. Now talking about vehicle batteries, they've got a easier time of things because they're heated and cooled by the HVAC system on the car. They need liquid to cool the electronics and they can also run that liquid through a heater to warm the electronics up, that's call preconditioning in the BEV world. Think of it as sort of a remote start on your gas car but instead of just getting the interior comfortable it also gets the battery in a comfortable range. As long as you have access to a charger with a BEV and keep them plugged in (like a block heater on a diesel) you'll never really have a problem with them, hot or cold. Where you run into problems is if you don't have access to a charger and you have to park the vehicle for an extended period of time in a super hot or super cold environment. They're not all that different than a diesel in that regard, with a diesel you have to put in fuel additives to prevent gelling. There were several school buses around here in northern Iowa that gelled up while going down the road with kids on their way to school earlier this week. Cold weather is hard on a lot of things.

[@markclark787]

Good info

[@archiehendricks6093]

And dewalt say s let it cool before charging. When using grinder battery gets hot. I donot think electrons will flow as smooth when hot unless its the sun.

[@dgambrel9241]

I used my 1” Milwaukee impact last week In -9 temps

[@archiehendricks6093]

I bought a dewalt brushless grinder, the battery was running down so fast, it hot here in july, i stick the battery in freezer before charging,at full charge i stick it in freezer a little while, then put on charger. The thing is running 75% longer. These guy that are talking about lifephos batterries are saying lithium my dewalt is not fephos type

[@Rickmakes]

If you charge a lithium battery below freezing, not only will it damage it, the damage can cause the battery to short, thus causing thermal runaway. If you charge it below freezing, you should properly discard it.

[@tracybrooks215]

My Dewalt 5 Amp hour did 2 out of 3 and only 4 years old unfortunately, I haven't contacted them about fixing them yet

[@CardinalVibes]

I removed all of my flex volt and xr batteries from the garage last week as our temperatures finally got really cold (5-15° F). I was worried. Good stuff to know.

[@martinparmer]

Thanks Jeff. This is important info. You know, we invest in these tools/batteries and we want them to last. Sounds like if you gotta work, work. If you gotta charge/store, bring them in. Am I close?

[@johnsmith-dm2tq]

i had 2 coke zero's pop behind my truck seat this week due to cold. luck for me i found them still frozen so it was an easy clean up.

[@WvMnts]

Good content.

[@ChrisHirner]

Thanks for this vid, i been yelling this at people for years. I have electric scooters and the young guys are screaming its gotta be kept in the living room, but right on the samsung page with the specs on the battery cells they can store quite cold. but for god sake dont charge em that cold. As for bms and electronics i get it. but the batts themselves will actually last longer if kept fairly cool. Im talking 20f or higher. If they get below zero, yeah i suddenly have a living room full of electric scooters

[@Sylvan_dB]

A good battery will have a temperature sensor, and the charger will refuse to charge it if too cold (or too hot). This functionality is included in Ryobi One+ lithium batteries and costs less than $1 for the sensor and adds only a few lines of code to the microcontroller. The Ryobi chargers will just blink a warning light if you attempt to charge a battery that isn't comfortable. I've seen it many times since replacing my NiCad One+ batteries with lithium.

[@cschruthable]

That's funny, why do our lithium ion batteries work so well in I've augers when it's -40 outside? After I load the auger in the truck it stays outside for 6 months a year in below freezing temps.

[@dancearoundtheworld5360]

Tesla made a appearance with many stranded

[@js12278]

Chicago has dead robots that needed towed😂

[@tensazero]

Beat me to it

[@dancearoundtheworld5360]

@@tensazero thats good

[@venom5809]

The future. LOL

[@1D10CRACY]

The news kind of made me chuckle. Everyone always tells us how reliable Tesla's super charging stations are. Meanwhile in Chicago, the only Tesla's on the road where those who charged on someone else's charging network or at home. :D

[@johnwoody4905]

we had a 80 volt battery chain saw that would not run in cold and now it will not run at at all. the drills do ok for me in cold. we already see what battery cars do in cold and in hot places they blow up and start fires that can not be put out i will never buy one. if you do buy one never park it near any thing that will burn. take care, be safe and well.

[@michaelmiller1109]

I am liking the new bear. i liked the animated guy but this is also really good.

[@ScottHenion]

I have one of the first Milwaukee M18 drills. Left it in the garage and it got to the teens. Needed to use it and the batts did not fare well. Put them on the charger and they charged but were never the same after that. This was early LiIon batts. I rebuilt one of the packs and noticed the batt pack said they were marketed at 1.4AH but the cells themselves were 2.2AH. Obviously they had to derate the batts as the drill ran them so hard. Since then, batt current ratings have gone way up. I think they may have been rated for 10 amp cycling while now I see 20A and 30A cells. I have no prob using them in the cold but will not charge them below freezing. Many systems will disable charging below freezing and is becoming a standard for many battery management controllers. I keep the tools and charger indoors, not just the batts. Using a frozen drill is just not fun ;).

[@jimtownsend7899]

Your 24 pack of Coke reminded me of years ago, One day years ago, in the middle of a cold snap, I got into my minivan (I needed 7 passenger capacity, OK?) and immediately noticed the brown ice across the headliner and all over the windshield and dash. What the heck? Eventually, I discovered the swollen, split aluminum can on the floor behind the driver’s seat. Oh, OK. Well, when it all thawed, I was able to clean it all up. Let’s hope my 18v Dewalt batteries in the bed of the truck don’t “decorate the bottom of the tonneau!

[@spencercpu1983]

The worst thing as far as cold is charging a cell or battery pack when battery is below freezing. Discharging in cold is unlikely to cause any noticeable damage but usable capacity does drop the colder it gets. Have seen a 18650 cell (molicel p35-18650) that claims Discharging can be done down to -40 C/F but does have a substantial decrease of usable capacity the data sheet does have graph of capacity able to be discharged at range of temperature. But most if not all major tool manufacturers get cells from major battery manufacturers like molicel/npe,LG,Samsung Panasonic/Sanyo, ECT... Tool manufacturers are unlikely to disclose what cells they are using so unless you open and void warranty on your battery pack. Also many "battery companies " just rewrap battery then put their name on it sometimes they lie and claim that they make the cell so they can claim that it is a USA made by them.

[@tuberstitious]

I have been researching building a solar/LiFePO4 power system for my circa '91 class c and it seems cold temps are definitely a concern and batteries can be affected if they are not built to handle it. Or... some folks are spreading bad info. I am in SE Texas and never worried about cold temps until "global warming"... Can you say "Winter Storm Uri"? When i was in the 3rd grade the weekly reader said science showed we were heading for a coming "ice age". ???????

[@denoftools]

Lifepo4 can handle temp ranges of -4°F to 140°F but there are even better built batteries out that that can do even better.

[@coreybabcock2025]

Well i guess my 600 ah battery bank in my van is going to go to crap but its to cold and expensive to atay in my van right now

[@benjaminmasters5375]

I literally asked Google if my batteries can freeze, and ur video popped up saying u posted this video 5 minutes ago

[@jamespruett2849]

I know it doesn't do you any good if a jump starter isn't in your vehicle,but wary of having one in the vehicle due to cold or heat

[@brandoncrimmins6296]

I don’t know if they technically freeze, but I’ve lost several dewalt batteries to cold…

[@dinospumoni8860]

I know if you charge them while frozen they will catch fire. Fortnine did a video on it with motorcycle lithium batteries.

[@MakeitZUPER]

anything can freeze. electronics and batteries are definitely sensitive to temperatures. All my DC tools come in where it's warm. How well charged the battery is affects the freezing rate too. You can't even charge a frozen battery. Ask anyone with a diesel. Yes, I know they're not the same, but the laws of physics are unbreakable.

[@Ron_Lockwood]

I have a battery bag and bring them in the house when it gets cold.

[@tomedgar4375]

I made the mistake of replacing(upgrading?) the battery on my motorcycle with a lithium ion battery. As soon as temps got into the 40s it would not start. After researching the fire issues, no thanks, back to sealed lead acid. As for my tool batteries, they come into the house during winter the day before I start a project

[@tuberstitious]

And I purpose to charge my tool batteries where people are around to call the fire department... and during the day only. My first Li-ion jump battery exploded trying to jump start my lawn tractor/mower... on a 65 degree (approx) day. Keep a careful watch on these lithium Batts. I understand there is an electric vehicle that the batteries can't be replaced in... Hyundai IONIQ 5... even for C $60,000.

[@CoopUSMC2531]

How would this affect a lithium battery on a motorcycle? I used lithium as a radio operator in Marines but that was years ago and I’m sure they’ve changed. What I’m trying to ultimately figure out is do I need to go and pull the lithium battery off of my Harley and bring it in the house? All my vehicles are stored outside currently. I know there are probably differences between a power pack for tool versus a lithium battery for a vehicle, or maybe not, that’s why I’m asking. Anyone’s input would be welcomed.

[@denoftools]

Unless it has an internal heater and some high end ones do, it's the same chemistry. If it gets below zero I'd bring it in.

[@saigyl9149]

if you're cold, they're cold. let them inside

[@tensazero]

I can confirm that even a Nokia 3300series phone's battery can't stand up to -40'C weather.

[@js12278]

Ego snowblowers d do pretty good

[@dannycolemire2652]

I need anyone and everyone's advice. I have SEVERAL batteries actually more than I need but I just don't want to sell them because I'll never get what or even close to what I paid for them. So how often should I charge them and should I charge them fully or half because I've heard stories in the past? So those who know please reply I would greatly appreciate it thanks. To be clear these are batteries that don't get used for months extra stored away batteries.

[@denoftools]

Depending on the battery, once or twice a year. Most decent chargers will manage the charge levels as well.

[@dannycolemire2652]

@@denoftools Thank you. I had heard once a year on charging the batteries which are the M18 XC 5AH BATTERY, M18 HIGH OUTPUT 6AH BATTERY AND SOME M12 also a couple 20v XR 5AH Dewalt batteries. I was just told only charge them to like 2 bars so I'm not sure about that part of it.

[@jmartyt9810]

Charge to about 80% and store them. Every now and then(once or twice a year) check and charge when needed.

[@dannycolemire2652]

@@jmartyt9810 Thanks appreciate it.

[@maximusmagni1]

Electric motors are more efficient at colder temperatures. There is no need to bring the tools themselves inside. If you just bring the batteries inside, you should be good.

[@xephael3485]

Charging lithium ion batteries below zero or in freezing temperatures is the absolute way to wreck them! You can use them charged in freezing weather but don't try to charge them in freezing weather...

[@DergEnterprises]

Believe The Science.

[@TacoTruck17]

Mine haven't!

[@kevinmahoney9205]

You've lived in Montana how many years? And your wife is still leaving the Coke out in the cold? It's not much warmer here in Michigan...

[@venom5809]

I'm in Michigan and it's so cold that the canned drinks in my fridge in the garage are semi-frozen, which reminds me I am going to bring them inside now.

[@TechGorilla1987]

That's a silly question - of course it can. But will it actually work then? Let's find out.

[@FangOfTruth]

Ironic you came out with this video this week. EVs(Teslas) dead because of too cold to charge them at charging stations on Fox News. I don’t know about the other media outlets( trying to play nice,so many fun words to call them).

[@1D10CRACY]

Just to clarify Fox news, they reported the Tesla Super chargers were failing not allowing the Tesla's to charge. The same rule for lithium applies for EV's as well, except EV's heat and cool their batteries as needed, so it really isn't an issue. People who were charging their cars at home were not affected. Also I read where some other branded chargers were not affected and those lines were long.

[@FangOfTruth]

@@1D10CRACY That’s why I said charging stations. I didn’t know if it was just Tesla or some others. I didn’t want to mislead anyone and mentioned Tesla as that’s what Fox News Tv mentioned. Maybe the charging stations should be temperature controlled like the car’s batteries. Clarification from others is ok and welcome by me. 👍

[@schaind11]

So only charge your car in a climate controlled garage. What a boondoggle.

[@EfficientRVer]

EV batteries generally take care of themselves, using some of the juice to keep at a usable temp. Likewise, a PHEV never NEEDS to be charged, because you can always just run it on gas. And last but not least, you can't plug in a regular hybrid, and the car computers control how much the battery is used. Just using it warms it up, also, from a bit of internal losses. I bought my first hybrid 23 years ago, and currently have 2 PHEVs in my household. Never had a problem here in NH, which is not a warm place. Personally, I simply run it as a straight hybrid when it is super cold, and just use a bit of EV mode each day to help warm the battery up a little, knowing that the car will use the battery a bit whether I want it to or not. Presumably the engineers in Japan have pretty good algorithms for protecting the batteries, because I've never heard of one Toyota hybrid or PHEV battery dying from cold. Only from age, especially in very hot climates.

[@captdramamine]

all those poor EV drivers stranded in this cold weather.