Lithium golf cart batteries in an Okanagan winter

How cold does it get?

At Kelowna's airport, January averages a high of about 1°C and a low of about -6°C, and around 28 nights that month go to freezing or below. Nights below -20°C are rare, about one a year on average.

Lithium can't be charged below freezing

A lithium battery can run in the cold, but charging it below 0°C damages the cells for good. ECO Battery, the lithium we install, builds in protection that stops charging below 0°C, so plugging in on a frosty morning won't harm it. It just won't charge until the battery warms up. ECO's heated models warm themselves first and then charge.

ECO batteries still run down to about -29°C, though you get less range in deep cold. Cold doesn't shorten their life as long as they aren't charged below freezing.

Putting a lithium cart away for winter

ECO Battery suggests:

• Charge it to more than half before you put it away
• Unplug the charger and turn the battery off
• Charge it at least every 6 months
• Keep it somewhere that stays above -20°C
• Give it a full charge before the first drive in spring

Other lithium makers give slightly different advice, so if your battery isn't an ECO, check its manual.

Lead-acid batteries need more care

Lead-acid batteries can freeze and crack when they're low. A fully charged battery won't freeze in an Okanagan winter, but one at 40% can freeze at about -9°C. They also slowly lose charge while they sit.

• Charge them fully before you put the cart away
• Check them every 4 to 6 weeks and top up the charge
• Add distilled water only after a full charge

This is one of the reasons people switch to lithium: no watering, and much less to watch over the winter.

Or let us look after it

Our winter storage includes pickup and drop-off, an inspection, and detailing before it comes home. If you're thinking about lithium, winter is a good time to do the swap while the cart is with us.