Hot take: that $50 car jump starter pack I bought off Amazon died in 20 degree weather

I was parked outside a Walmart in Billings, Montana last month. Truck battery went dead, around 6pm, 18 degrees out. Pulled out that little lithium pack I got for $50. It blinked red twice and just quit. Had to ask a guy in a diesel for a jump. He laughed and said those things dont work below freezing. I was so mad I threw it in the back seat. Anyone else have one of these fail on them in the cold?

2 comments

2 Comments

elizabethn5616d ago

Did you check what the actual temperature rating is on that thing? Most of those cheap lithium packs are only rated to 32 degrees, and some don't even list a low temp spec. The chemistry just can't handle the cold. I had one that said "operating temperature: 0 to 140F" on the fine print inside the box, but it still crapped out at 15 degrees. I think the real issue is those packs are designed for warm weather emergencies, not actual winter. The battery cells inside just give up when they get too cold. Might be worth reading the manual before you toss it, but honestly you're probably better off buying a lead acid booster pack if you live where it gets cold.

logan70516d ago

Yeah exactly, lead acid is way more forgiving in the cold. Stupid lithium packs just shut off like a safety thing or something, totally useless when you actually need them.