Question: How does extreme cold affect a battery?
Answer: Battery capacity is greatly reduced at low temperature because the chemical reactions slow down significantly and electrolyte resistance increases. At 0 degrees, a battery delivers 45% of the power it can deliver at 80 degrees.
Why Do Batteries Discharge More Quickly in Cold Weather?
Answer: Chemical Reactions Proceed More Slowly at Cooler Temperatures
The electric current generated by a battery is produced when a connection is made between its positive and negative terminals. When the terminals are connected, a chemical reaction is initiated that generates electrons to supply the current of the battery. Lowering the temperature causes chemical reactions to proceed more slowly, so if a battery is used at a low temperature then less current is produced than at a higher temperature. As the batteries run down they quickly reach the point where they cannot deliver enough current to keep up with the demand. If the battery is warmed up again it will operate normally.
One solution to this problem is to make certain batteries are warm just prior to use. Preheating batteries is not unusual for certain situations.
When a battery is not in use, it will slowly lose its charge as a result of leakage between the terminals. This chemical reaction is also temperature dependent, so unused batteries will lose their charge more slowly at cooler temperatures than at warmer temperatures. For example, certain rechargeable batteries may go flat in approximately two weeks at normal room temperature, but may
hold their charges quite a bit longer in say.... a refrigerator
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The chart above depicts a vehicle battery but the principle holds
true for two way radio batteries.
How do you keep your batteries warm on a cold day?
In a word --- Snuggle.
Use your own body heat to keep those batteries warm.
Being in a warm tent or vehicle is fine but do not use an open fire
to warm your batteries.
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