Charging and discharging standard lithium batteries at extremely low temperatures (below 0°C/32°F) can result in lithium precipitation that can ultimately lead to battery pack fires or explosions. However, lithium battery packs that are specially designed for low temperature operation not only prevent dangerous situations from occurring, they also improve overall battery pack performance and reliability in cold temperatures.
These specially customized battery packs are often used in commercial and industrial equipment, robotics, and marine monitoring systems that require charging and discharging in temperatures ranging from -5°C to -50°C (23°F to -58°F).
CMB’s battery packs that operate properly in low temperatures are equipped with special low temperature cells, insulation, heat storage technology, and heating pads. These features allow these battery packs to operate at an optimal temperature despite low temperature environmental surroundings, resulting in an improved and more reliable performance.
CMB utilizes the latest technology when it comes to our battery packs for cold temperatures, but it’s important to clarify the unique specifications of your application and its environment with our team during the design phase to ensure we can equip your low-temperature battery pack with the most ideal features for your situation.
Let’s Create Your Custom Battery Pack
The Important Factors in Designing Low Temperature Resistant Battery Packs
One factor that is influential when designing a battery pack for operation at low temperatures is the duration of time the pack will need to operate for. As the table below demonstrates, the types of battery cells and heating technology we choose from differ between battery packs that need to operate for 4 hours or longer at a time versus battery packs that need to operate for short or intermittent periods of time.
| Low Temperature Environment Duration | Cell Options | Battery Pack Technology |
| More than 4 hours | Low temperature cell | Insulation and heat storage technology or heating pads |
| Intermittent or short periods of time | Low temperature cell or standard cell | Insulation and heat storage technology |
Other factors that influence the design, materials, and technology incorporated into each custom battery pack for low temperature include: the temperature range of the surrounding environment, space restrictions, performance requirements, and budgetary considerations.
Low Temperature Cell Specifications
At the heart of CMB’s customized battery packs that operate at low temperatures are specially crafted low-temperature cells. For each low temperature battery pack we design, we choose from three primary low temperature battery cells, all of which are detailed in the tables below.
Low Temperature 3.2V 18650 1600mAh LiFePO4 Cell Specifications
| Dimensions | Diameter | 18.3±0.2 (mm) |
| Height | 65.20±0.30 (mm) | |
| Capacity | 1600mAh | |
| Typical Voltage | 1550mAh | 0.5C discharge |
| Working Voltage | 2.0V to 3.65V | |
| Maximum Continuous Charge/Discharge | 1.6A/4.8A | |
| Cycle Life (25℃) | 7000 times（50% DOD） | |
| 4000 times（80% DOD） | The residual capacity is no less than 80% of rated capacity at 1C rate. | |
| 3500 times（100% DOD） | The residual capacity is no less than 80% of rated capacity at .0.5C/1C rate. | |
| 2000 times（100% DOD） | The residual capacity is no less than 80% of rated capacity at 1C rate. | |
| Working Temperature Range | Charge 0℃ to 60℃ Discharge -30℃ to 65℃ |
Low Temperature 3.2V 26650 3200mAh LiFePO4 Cell Specifications
| Dimensions | Diameter | 26.3 ± 0.2(mm) |
| Height | 65.7 ± 0.2 (mm) | |
| Capacity | 3200mAh | |
| Typical Voltage | 3150mAh | 0.5C discharge |
| Working Voltage | 2.0V to 3.65V | |
| Maximum Continuous Charge/Discharge | 9.6A/16A | |
| Cycle Life (25℃) | Discharge capability of 2001 cycles ≥80% | Original discharge capacity |
| Working Temperature Range | Charge -30℃ to 60℃ | |
| Discharge -50℃ to 60℃ | ||
| Temperature Discharge Performance | Discharge capability at −40℃ | ≥90% |
| Discharge capability at 25℃ | ||
| Discharge Rate Capability | Discharge capability at 3C | ≥96% |
| Discharge capability at 0.2C |
Low Temperature 3.7V 18650 2500mAh NCM Cell Specifications
| Dimensions | Diameter | ≤ 18.50 mm |
| Height | ≤ 65.30 mm | |
| Capacity | 2500mAh | |
| Typical Voltage | 2450mAh | 0.5C discharge |
| Working Voltage | 2.75V to 4.2V | |
| Maximum Continuous Charge/Discharge | 2.5A/25A | |
| Cycle Life (25℃) | 2.5A charge/ 10A discharge ≥500 cycles | |
| Working Temperature Range | Charge 0℃ to 45℃ | |
| Discharge -40℃ to 75℃ | ||
| Temperature Discharge Performance | Discharge capacity ≥80% | Rated capacity at-20℃ |
| Discharge capacity ≥70% | Rated capacity at-30℃ | |
| Discharge capacity ≥60% | Rated capacity at-40℃ |