I plan to put a LFP battery in my car with an inverter, and a charger that keeps the 12v car battery charged so that it can power some lights even with the engine off. I was going to do a power queen self heating 100ah, but by time I do that, mppt, inverter e.t.c I'm at like $700. An alternative, is a nice compact all in one 750wh ecoflow river 2 pro that I already have. But, it has no self heating. I couldn't find any way to heat it, so I gave up for a while. Yes I finally now found the RV tank heater pads but at a 65w draw with only a 100w solar panel on the roof it will take all the power, so it's not an option. But now I'm wondering, How much damage will a battery like that ecoflow actually take from being in the car during the winter? Its pretty rare to drop below 0F, especially now where winters have been much warmer lately, it only got down to like 15F at night a few times. And it's a black car, so the sun should definitely keep it a little warmer inside. I would like to avoid spending a bunch of money on a custom system if possible since the main thing is keeping the car battery charged while running lights, but the main concern is about temperature. Obviously in the summer it could hit 140f or whatever in a black car too.
How much damage will LFP get from being in the cold?
- Thread starter Ang429
- Start date
sunshine_eggo
Happy Breffast!
Ccold weather CHARGING is what damages them. Most can be stored at -20 to -30°C.
chrisski
Solar Boondocker
- Joined
- Aug 14, 2020
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- 5,198
Also, the temperature damage can start to occur for charging is freezing point of water, 32F° (O C°), not 0 F.
I can't suggest anything cheap for keeping from charging a battery at subfreezing. @HRTKD did a thread on this and he did a much bigger battery and did not use 65 watts:
diysolarforum.com
I bet you've read this already.
My Victron MPPTs can add a temp sensor $40 to stop charging at whatever temp I want, but I'm not sure if their battery charger interfaces with that.
I can't suggest anything cheap for keeping from charging a battery at subfreezing. @HRTKD did a thread on this and he did a much bigger battery and did not use 65 watts:
LiFePO4 Battery Warmer Install
This is my install of a custom set of battery warmers from Ultra Heat. I had contacted them through email asking about a warming profile for LiFePO4 batteries. They responded with a design to my specifications, including warming pads that fit my batteries exactly. While I initiated the...
diysolarforum.com
My Victron MPPTs can add a temp sensor $40 to stop charging at whatever temp I want, but I'm not sure if their battery charger interfaces with that.
Brucey
Solar Wizard
Unfortunately the Victron IP22 battery chargers don't support ve smart networking and cold temp charge protection via the smart battery sense like the smart solar sccs.Also, the temperature damage can start to occur for charging is freezing point of water, 32F° (O C°), not 0 F.
I can't suggest anything cheap for keeping from charging a battery at subfreezing. @HRTKD did a thread on this and he did a much bigger battery and did not use 65 watts:
I bet you've read this already.LiFePO4 Battery Warmer Install
This is my install of a custom set of battery warmers from Ultra Heat. I had contacted them through email asking about a warming profile for LiFePO4 batteries. They responded with a design to my specifications, including warming pads that fit my batteries exactly. While I initiated the...
My Victron MPPTs can add a temp sensor $40 to stop charging at whatever temp I want, but I'm not sure if their battery charger interfaces with that.
Is the Blue Smart IP22 Charger compatible with the Smart Battery Sense? - Victron Community
community.victronenergy.com
zcskywire2
Solar Enthusiast
From some private tests I've conducted, at 15F the damage can be as high as 16% SoH after 10 Charge and discharge cycles at 1C/1C. Results vary greatly depending on cell types however with 2%-16% of SoH loss after 10 full cycles. Cold weather rated cells (which the ecoflow most certainly does not have) were sub 1% of SoH loss.
What about high heat like 130F in the middle of summer?
Ecoflow has low temp shutoff so it sounds like it will just cut off in the winter most of the time and likely barely be able to charge from the solar.
zcskywire2
Solar Enthusiast
I do not have comparable numbers from these tests as the hot testing started at ~150F. Most LFP cell datasheets will give a cycle life at 45C which is 113F. Overall its about half the total cycle count at 45C.
This is from a EVE LF304 Datasheet for reference
