Battery Life Cold vs Heat

Lithium Ion's have the longest storage in the fridge... yes, the fridge! The cooler temps help the chemical reaction slow for longest life. That said, like another other battery, freezing will probably shorten the life of them.

For more info check: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithium-ion_battery

No, unless the temperature gets REALLY cold.....like below -10F.

HOWEVER.......
The unit is prone to collecting condensation as the car warms up or when you take it inside where the air is warm.

Either way, you are likely to pay a price for being "lazy".

I also made the mistake of leaving my Nuvi in a hidden hatch at the top of my dash in the summer. Completely hidden and secure, but awfully hot in the summer sun. I had to replace the battery after a year.

The sub-zero temps will TEMPORARILY affect the battery life while the battery was at -10 but it maintains full capacity again once it warms up.

So it is harmful to leave it where the sun can make it really hot. But the cold does not harm it. Just don't expect to un-dock it when it's -10 and expect it to run on battery for very long unless you warm it up first.

Not only that, but the screen is kinda dim until it warms up then it brightens.

Just like a flourscent lights in a garage with no heat...takes a while to brighten.

When I know I'll have an extended break between uses of my GPSr, I put it in the fridge, case and all. The night before I need it, I take it out and leave it on the kitchen table, again in the case, so any condensation forms on the case and not the unit.

I do this specifically to extend the battery life. The best results are to be had when the battery is partially discharged, so don't put it in the fridge when fully charged or almost dead.

Remember, LCD screens are *liquid* crystal display, and liquids get slow in cold. Your user manual may show an operating range. Most of the ones I've seen are designed to work in temperatures of at least 0 degrees F. Some are rated for 20 below. The liquid inside is not water, so they don't freeze at 30 degrees F. Now we've had guys get on here and say they stored their LCD devices in their RVs in Minnesota at 60 below and had no problems once the units warmed up again, but the screens probably will not work well as long as they're subzero cold, particularly the touch-screen features.

Flip, assuming the battery in your GPS is Lithium Ion, as most are now, the two things that shorten the battery life the most are:

storing or using the battery in extremely hot temperatures, including in a passenger compartment of a car hot from the sun (trunks don't get as hot, because there are no windows there), and

letting the battery discharge completely before charging. There is no memory effect with LIon batteries, so it's best to charge them before they are completely discharged, to ensure their long life.

Also they don't recharge well or even at all much below 32 degrees F, but it doesn't hurt to leave LIon batteries in cold. It's just that if you leave your GPS hooked up to your cigarette lighter overnight to charge it up, in a cold car, it may not charge at all.

Thanks for the input all! I kind of suspected heat was the main factor in killing a battery.

Flip

It is hard to resist the ease of leaving the GPS in the car since that is where you use it. Maybe having the GPS whenever you want it is worth a reduced product lifespan. Regarding battery life, I once bought 5 lithium Ion batteries for a digital camera, put them all through light use on trips, stored together. One failed after 1 year, the others are still good.

You make a good point. I generally leave mine at home if I'm not going somewhere unfamiliar or on a long trip, just so I don't have to worry about it being stolen or worry about the wear and tear on it from keeping it in extreme temperatures. But there have been a few times when I didn't anticipate needing it, but it turned out I did, as when making an emergency detour. So maybe leaving it in the car would be smarter.

With replacement batteries costing around $10-$15, it doesn't cost much to support the convenience. I don't take mine out of the car until we get less than -5 or over +100 temps. I have a secure place to hide it of course, and I don't use the window mount.

I leave the gps next to my keys in the house. I go out, take keys and unit and we are off. Just a suggestion. Happy and safe holidays to all my friends at the POI Factory.

On the jets I work on, the displays in the flight deck have LCD heaters which warms up the display when it's powered up after sitting overnight at a cold airport.

Great Info everyone, Thanks!