What do cell ratings actually tell us? Part 6A: Temperature

[Battery_Mooch]

@jaykup

So if I’m reading this correctly, while you can charge as long as a cell is above 0°C, it’s best practice to charge at room temp if you can as charging at temps between freezing and room temp may cause unknown damage? If we have to charge in that range, would reducing the charging current be a good idea?

Above 0°C shouldn’t cause additional damage beyond normal aging AFAIK. I recommend charging at room temp since it’s hard to know what the actual cell temps are. Even if we have temp sensors they might not be accurate or in the correct place. Charging near room temp offers a bit of a safety margin versus trusting the temp sensors if we want to charge at 10°C or 5°C or some low temp.

Since all the manufacturers spec charging at room temp it probably is less abusive than at lower temps but I don’t by how much if that is true.

Yes, if you are charging a pack that is at a lower temp, but you know that all cells are actually above 0°C, then a lower charging current setting can be better for the cells. But that is true for charging at any temperature.