Is Your Car Battery Ready for Winter? Here’s How to Prepare!

In winter, we focus on stocking up on warm clothes and ensuring our heating systems are in top condition. But there’s a critical component in your vehicle that requires just as much attention - the Battery.

Batteries in the vehicle are very important to ignite the engine and power up all electrical systems inside the vehicle. For electric vehicles, an additional 12V battery is necessary to start essential vehicular systems, except the motor.

Extreme cold conditions, however, can adversely affect the battery's capacity and life. That is why it becomes essential to know the nitty-gritty of the battery in cold weather. So today, this article is focused on the science behind the impact of cold weather on vehicle batteries, how you can prevent it, and make your battery’s life longer.

Let’s first understand the Battery Chemistry in Cold Temperatures

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​It's critical to know about the chemical reactions that take place within a vehicle battery. A battery built of lead-acid cells that uses a chemical reaction that turns energy stored in lead and sulfuric acid into electrical charge. This chemical process is temperature sensitive in cold temperatures which slows down this reaction process and sometimes stops it completely. This is a natural phenomenon in which kinetic activity slows down in lower temperatures. Here is a detailed overview -

Why does this happen?

In lower temperatures, the electrolyte compound inside the battery becomes more viscous. It means the mixture gets thicker similar to the engine oil in cold temperatures. As a result, it makes it difficult for the chemical reaction to occur because the ion particles move slowly in a thick electrolyte mixture. Consequently, the same amount of potential energy inside the battery discharges slowly.

Frozen Electrolyte

Excessive cold temperatures can freeze the water in the electrolyte. This may weaken the battery or cause a battery failure. That's when you notice the sides of the battery case slightly expand, and in certain cases, it can split and leak the electrolyte, leaving a trail of corrosion in its wake.

The freezing point of a normal vehicle battery electrolyte is around -40 degrees Fahrenheit. That is when it becomes essential to make sure that the battery will not go below this threshold. If the temperature falls below the freezing point, the electrolyte in the battery freezes and expands, potentially causing the battery to rupture.

If the battery is not fully charged, it may freeze even in milder conditions. For instance, an 80% charged battery may freeze at -20 degrees Fahrenheit. If a battery is entirely depleted and the temperature falls, the water in the electrolyte may freeze at somewhere around 30 degrees Fahrenheit.

Reduced Capacity

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The chill temperature affects the battery's capacity. A car battery's performance is measured in two ways: Cranking Amperage (CA), which is the battery output rating at 32 degrees Fahrenheit, and Cold Cranking Amperage (CCA), which is how much power the battery can supply at 0 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 secs while keeping a minimum voltage of 7.2 V. As the temperature drops, the cranking amperage of the battery reduces, resulting in less power to start the engine.

In general, this is not an issue with a healthy vehicle battery. The CCA rating determines the actual amperage required to start the engine. Additionally, it also accounts for a good amount of power buffer as well. Nevertheless, if your battery is older and the lead plates have started to corrode, this indicates that the CCA may be drastically reduced. Moreover, if the temperature drops down below the freezing point, it will result in a lack of enough power to start your engine. That is when you need an additional healthy battery to start your engine up.

Now you know the science behind the battery power drop in cold temperatures, let’s understand how to prevent this from happening and make the life of your battery longer.

How to protect your battery from cold weather?

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We recommend that car owners start to pay close checks to their batteries after three years of installation. If your battery has been affected, the first thing you'll notice is that the engine sounds sluggish when you turn on the ignition. This is a critical warning indicator that you should not have to ignore.

If this happens to you, do not assume that you need to replace the battery. Make sure that the battery connections are intact and the wires are not damaged or disconnected. Also, make sure your battery terminals are clean. You should ask your mechanic to clean those terminals in every session of your vehicle servicing.

If your battery comes with caps, you have to ensure that the fluid is above 5 millimeters from the plates or between the levels mentioned on the battery case. If the water level is low, top up with deionized water to keep it out from overfilling. Additionally, some batteries come with sealed caps which do not require such practices, so if you have such batteries then rest assured.

Steps to make your battery life longer and more efficient.

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In order to make your battery efficient and work perfectly for as long as possible, then you can follow these steps below:

1. Keep Your Battery Charged

In low temperatures, a partially charged battery can not perform efficiently. If you do not drive on a daily basis, or drive it for long tours, use a trickle charger to make sure that the alternator keeps the battery charged. This simple approach can dramatically increase the battery's life and prevent unexpected power failure.

2. Avoid Short Trips

Frequent short rides prevent the alternator from fully charging the battery. If possible, prevent unnecessary short drives, or take long-distance routes occasionally to make sure that the battery charges and recovers its power efficiency. This is a simple approach you can incorporate in your driving habits to make the life of your battery longer.

3. Turn off Accessories When Starting

If you start your car without turning off the electronics such as heaters or headlights, will drain your battery faster than usual. To reduce the power load on the battery, turn off all electronics before turning on the ignition. This minor practice will have a significant impact on your battery life in the long term.

4. Check for battery corrosion

Cold temperatures can produce corrosion on your battery terminals, which hinders the power supply. Inspect the battery terminals regularly for signs of corrosion and, if necessary, clean them with a baking soda and water solution. Keeping your battery terminals clean can increase conductivity and improve battery performance and efficiency.

5. Choose the right battery for cold temperatures or your area’s climate

Some batteries were developed to work better in colder temperatures than others. Choose a battery with higher CCA ratings to ensure that even in extreme cold, you may not end up stuck because of the battery malfunction to start your engine. Additionally, batteries with high CCA ratings have longer life because they’re not as temperature-sensitive as the ones with lower CCA ratings.

6. Test your battery before winters

Testing your battery before the winter season is one of the best practices to avoid unpredictable power failures. You can periodically take your vehicle to the local service center or to the mechanic and test your battery health. If the testing result indicates that the battery is marginal or if it fails the test, then it is recommended you to replace it before experiencing problems. A power breakdown caused by a failed battery or the inability to start your vehicle in extreme conditions can have major health effects, which can be easily avoided by keeping the battery in good condition.

7. Park your vehicle in an enclosed parking

In winters, you should have to park your car in enclosed parkings or garages. This will prevent your battery to expose in open cold outside. However, this will not protect your vehicle from the temperature drop downs but the enclosed area will keep that winter frost of the environment away. 

8. Check your engine oil

If you're concerned about a winter battery failure, just take a moment and check your engine oil quality. If your oil is contaminated or you are using low viscous engine oil, then your battery requires more power to run that engine at the same pace. This problem gets worse if you use old or mineral engine oil. Moreover, consider replacing your oil and filter every year as the winter comes. Fresh oil not only reduces winter battery strain but can also prevent expensive engine damage.

CarBike360 Says

Battery is a significant component of any vehicle, no matter if it is an EV or ICE. And guess what can be worse than a malfunctioned battery? It is left stranded out in the cold until someone comes with an additional battery to help your engine start again. If you do not take sufficient care of your battery’s health, you may end up stranded in harsh weather conditions. If you follow the above-mentioned points in winter or in any weather, you can make your battery life longer and prevent those failures.

Also Read: Don’t Let the Wrong Oil Drain Your Engine’s Power – How to Choose the Best Engine Oil?​