Heat is always the enemy. Not even a question. In chemistry, the more heat in a system, the less selective the reaction. You get side reactions and degradation. Cold will lower your voltage potential and power output while it is cold... But it's not damaging.
1 month ago
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I live in interior Alaska, and have flown in -20F weather... battery life is about 1/4 to 1/3rd the "normal" duration at those temperatures. That said batteries also get very warm at 85F here as well but I am unsure how much higher heat could effect them as I have not experienced heat above 90F here. I still selected both because they both will put a strain on the batteries. But I would need more data to come to any firm conclusions.
1 month ago | 1
My expertise is in FPV drones and I know that ripping around in the heat can make batteries get really hot to the point that they can puff... The chemistry is altered at that point and its downhill from there. AFAIK, cold won't damage rather it will only reduce the output and sag more under load.
1 month ago | 0
I live in the Phoenix area. Two weeks ago, I took my Potensic out to fly for a while at 8:30am. The temp was already 96°. After about a 10 min flight, the drone went into RTH on its own with 29% battery left (started with 88%). I thought this was premature, and the drone was nearby, so I canceled the RTH. I immediately got a battery failure warning, instructing me to land immediately. I landed promptly. When I landed, the battery was down to 22% (a 7% loss in about 90 seconds), and the battery internal temperature was 127°. The battery was literally boiling. The heat is brutal on these batteries. I have first-hand experience now.
1 month ago (edited) | 1
Based on my many years of flying radio controlled electric planes, cold is a lot worse on lithium batteries than heat is. I mean, inside a garage doesn't get nearly as hot as direct sun does. It does get pretty warm in a garage, but not like an attic does, for instance. We now own ebikes, and I will tell you that we do take the batteries out and bring them inside when it drops below say 45 degrees in the wintertime (I live in the DFW area for reference). Just my 2 cents.
1 month ago (edited) | 1
Cold increases internal resistance. Heat really only becomes an issue at super extreme levels. Live in FL and fly fpv freestyle, we regularly pull 100+ amps on 6s and batteries unbelievably hot by time we land. We're talking pushing so many amps we get 3 mins on 6s 1300mah. Put my batteries through it all the time and it's never been an issue. Cold on the other hand increases internal resistance and in turn decreases performance and flight time, this is why battery heaters and heated lipo bags are a thing but fans on batteries are not. Batteries are designed to take some pretty intense heat.
1 month ago | 0
Assuming that "extreme" would be in excess of the manufacturer's operation guidelines; both.
1 month ago | 0
While cold may reduce performance if used cold heat is what deteriorates. Storing in cold is better. (To a point)
1 month ago | 0
When setting up the drone and I can't take it off right away, I use a portable fan to keep it cool. Remember Lithium batteries catch fire at around 140 degrees F.
1 month ago | 0
The batteries and the drone internals generate a lot of heat, I’ve never had problems running in the cold here but I’ve had issues running in the hot. Had to keep putting my drone on the AC when I was shooting a commercial in Altus Ok last year, actual temp was like 112… 😅 The Oklahoma wind doesn’t help either, it overworks the drones
1 month ago
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I havent noticed my batty life drop dramatically in heat but it sure will in cold.
1 month ago | 0
My drone gave me a low voltage error message with 18 minutes left on the battery. The drone dropped 135' 15 seconds later. It was around 96° at 11 am. Fortunately, it was on a pasture, and nothing was damaged besides the drone.
1 month ago | 0
Not sure about the batteries but the heat is real bad for this old man!!
1 month ago
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51 Drones
100 degrees here today. 🥵 What do you think is harder on drone batteries, extreme heat, or extreme cold?
1 month ago | [YT] | 47