Consumers living in cold-weather environments are familiar with car battery issues. On the coldest of winter days, a battery simply might not have enough punch to turn over a cold engine. Yet what many consumers do not know is that winter battery problems are often the result of summer heat.
Cold temperatures are not nearly as harmful to car batteries as you might think. Batteries don’t perform as well in the cold but cold doesn’t necessarily damage internal components. Heat does. So much so that consumers living in warm-weather environments tend to have to replace their car batteries more often.
Battery Degradation and What Causes It
No car battery has an unlimited lifespan. Every battery will eventually wear out and stop functioning. For all intents and purposes, battery degradation is inevitable. But what causes it?
A lead-acid car battery does not store electricity. It comprises two plates – one positive and the other negative – with an electrolyte between them. During its charging, electricity pushes ions inside the battery toward the negative plate. During discharge, the ions move toward the positive plate. It is this movement toward the positive end that generates the electricity a battery produces.
Degradation is the natural result of the chemical processes taking place inside. Those chemical processes lead to two things: corrosion and sulfation. As corrosion and sulfation increase, so does degradation. A battery is less capable of holding a charge commensurate with the amount of corrosion and sulfation that has taken place.
Why Heat Is Problematic
Heat is problematic for car batteries because it contributes to both corrosion and sulfation. It is so problematic that battery degradation rates tend to double for every 10°C increase in ambient temperature. So the warmer the weather, the faster a car battery will degrade.
- Corrosion – Warmer temperatures lead to faster electrolyte evaporation. As electrolytes evaporate, more of the two plates’ surface area is exposed to air. Air exposure is what causes corrosion.
- Sulfation – Battery discharge creates crystals that build up on the two plates. This is known as sulfation. Heat is a problem because it increases discharge rates, thereby promoting additional sulfation.
Incidentally, this is one of the reasons brands like Clore Automotive prefer smart battery charging and maintenance over trickle charging. Trickle charging generates more heat. Over time, it can reduce a battery’s lifespan. Smart charging and maintenance are just the opposite. Among other things, it prevents overheating. Visit Clore Automotive for more information.
The Link to Winter Failure
By now you might be wondering what any of this has to do with a failing battery stranding someone in the middle of winter. Remember that batteries do not perform as well in colder temperatures. With that in mind, consider a battery that has lost significant capacity over the summer. How well will it perform during the winter?
A heat-distressed battery exhibiting 20-50% capacity loss does not have the same chemical efficiency. In cold weather, this means fewer cold-cranking amps (CCAs). The problem is that winter weather starting requires the maximum CCAs a car battery can deliver.
Another factor in the winter is the shorter drives people tend to make. Shorter drives do not allow a battery to fully recharge like longer drives do. So a battery already stressed from summer heat will suffer even further because of a lack of full recharging.
Mind the Heat for Your Battery
The lesson in all of this is clear: mind the heat if you want your car battery to perform all winter. During the summer months, park in the shade and do your best to make sure your car never overheats.