Long Term Storage of Lithium-Ion Batteries

[Edge]

I guess I can't resist a sale on tools. I didn't need another drill but I just bought a Bosch drill kit from Menards that included the drill, charger and two Lithium Ion batteries for $99. In addition Bosch is having a special promotion where I get two additional batteries for free. The batteries are warranted for two years. I currently plan to use two batteries for everyday use but have no immediate need for the two extra batteries. The question is how to store them so that if the original batteries poop out (hopefully in two or more years) the the spare batteries will still be good. In a magazine, they advised fully charging them and putting them in the refrigerator. I could vacuum seal them with a FoodSaver to protect them from corrosion and put them in the refrigerator if cold is the answer to preserving them.

[Stormin Mormon]

That's an incredible deal. I think the foodsaver will help keep the batteries dry. Might even add a silica gel packet, dessicant.

Christopher A. Young Learn more about Jesus

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[krw]

I got a deal on Bosch 12V batteries a couple of years ago. At less than $20 each, I bought every one they had (5) and simply put them in the rotation. I think I have eleven 12V batteries now (six from tools) and five tools to put them in (Drill, impact driver, two drivers, and multi-tool).

LiIon batteries have a pretty long shelf-life but have a limited number of charges. Just using the batteries isn't that much different than putting them on the shelf. It's likely better because self-discharge isn't an issue.

[ransley]

From what I've read don't let them go dead or they die in a short period, I recharge my liIon stuff about every 6 months just to keep a charge in them, try googling info on this

[Mike S.]

Store them at 40% to 60% full charge.

[Mike S.]

The chemicals in a lithium ion cell degrade from the moment of manufacture, whether the cell is used or not. Oxidation of the anode causes the internal resistance to slowly rise, making it unable to supply sufficient current to power anything. If the cell is abused, the reduction in capacity is in addition to the natural aging. The nominal storage life of a LiIon cell is about 3 years. That's why it's not recommended to stockpile unused cells because they are likely to go bad before they're used.

[gregz]

I checked out the add. Not sure if it's mailable. If it were not just just buying a cheap porter cable outfit, I would be more interested.

Greg

[krw]

They're really better than that. At the PPoE, we had a few thousand LiPos in storage for three years (product didn't launch when they thought it should). We took a sample and every one had more than 90% capacity. There wasn't any huge failure rate three years after that.