The safety of keeping Lithium batteries in automobiles has been discussed in several threads here on the BLF.
Safe temperatures have been quoted for various cell makers.
- New Data Run at the Bottom -
I thought it might be fun to see just how hot the most likely storage spots might get during a hot day in Texas.
The official temperature hit 113F.
My car thermometer hit 115F on the way home – with a cloud blocking the sun part of the time.
I setup a data logger with 3 probes and set it to take a temperature reading every 5 minutes.
Make a guess which one is:
Under the Driver’s Seat
The dashboard Glovebox
The center Console
The test subject is a dark gray 4 door Toyota with a black interior.
I got the logger going in the house and then I ran some errands.
I parked the car in full sun on the east side of my office building at 11:32am.
I had all the windows up and didn’t open the car till I went home at about 5:25pm.
Using an infrared thermometer I pulled the following temps.
Time - - - - - Dash _ Asphalt, Roof
11:32am 118, 141, _ NA
12:43am 135, 167, _ 165
01:45pm 156, 170, _ 185
02:45pm 156, 157, _ 192
03:45pm 148, 156, _ 181
04:45pm 117, 115/156, 112
At 4:45 the car was in the shade of the building.
The two asphalt temps are taken in shade and in sun.
I was kind of stunned to see how hot the roof got.
You can’t fry an egg, but you can sure as heck cook one on the roof or the pavement.
I would bet batteries in remotes would last longer if not kept in a roof compartment.
For those who are Celsius thinkers:
126.3F = 52.4C
146.6F = 63.7C
138.5F = 59.2C
170F = 76.7C
192F = 88.9C
You can see how quickly the car cools off when I head home with the AC running full blast.
I’ll post the answer in a few days after a few guesses have been made.
All the Best,
Jeff
RESULTS - Coolest place in the car post #27
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Guess Again
Below is another temp log. This time looking at the worst places to store a light in a car.
The test subject is the same as the above.
It’s parked in the same spot in the parking lot.
The high for the day was 96F. That’s 17F less than the first run.
Guess which is:
Front Seat Area – cabin temp if you will
Center Console
Roof Console
Trunk
And I’m withholding any temps taken while the car was running.
That should make the guessing game a bit tougher.
Later I’ll post a version that shows more data.
And yes, jon probably got this one right also…
All the Best,
Jeff