Summertime Blues? For Batteries, It's Possible

There isn’t anything special you can do during the summer months to maintain your electric vehicles. And unfortunately, battery life is directly correlated to temperature. In fact, raising average battery temperature by 30 degrees can reduce battery life by as much as 50 percent!

In extreme temperatures, consider “air gap” batteries for ventilation, and/or fans for forced air ventilation. An easy and inexpensive improvement is to increase the size of the battery conductors to reduce resistance and improve heat dissipation.

But really, all we can do is continue the same good maintenance we do throughout the year:

• Plug in your tractors at night to keep state of charge high during the day.
• Diligently water the batteries to keep the electrolyte levels above the plates.

Enjoy your summer!