Do you see much battery drain over those chilly nights? Curious about how the energy math works out for cold drain. I wonder under what conditions one preserves battery life by running a small heater off the battery.
Not sure if this is what you meant, but I don't think batteries drain if they just sit there in the cold! In fact I think cold environments slow idle discharge. Batteries do have a reduced capacity when used in the cold, though, so if I did any midnight biking I would definitely have reduced range! That is not in the plan...
Thanks for the clarification. Did a bit of reading. As you said, passive discharge decreases with temperature. This is why some folks put batteries in the freezer! Battery performance also declines (capacity, amperage, voltage) with temperature as the underlying chemical reactions slow down, but this change is reversible, and capacity is restored by warming. Charging Li-ion batteries near freezing does seems to yield permanent damage, however, as Li can accumulate and "plate" the anode. For this reason, Teslas "precondition" (i.e., warm up to room temperature) their batteries en route to a supercharging station, and some phones are smart enough to refuse charging near freezing temperatures.
I'm curious what measures you have to prevent bike/battery theft. Where do you leave things when you go for a hike/run? Is that part of why you are mostly staying over on private property as opposed to public camp sites?
Good questions! I definitely have to take this into account. I have a pretty heavy-duty lock for my bike, and the bike's battery is only removable with a key. I locked my bike to a railing at the trailhead on when I went for the big hike on Sunday, and felt safe leaving everything else back at the horse ranch.
Your photos and descriptions of the desert make it come alive for any of us in less sun-blessed locations! Wow! I'll bet you gave Lou, the ranch owner, something to talk about at his next cowboy round up. Win-win!
Way to cold call your way into a campsite!
Do you see much battery drain over those chilly nights? Curious about how the energy math works out for cold drain. I wonder under what conditions one preserves battery life by running a small heater off the battery.
Not sure if this is what you meant, but I don't think batteries drain if they just sit there in the cold! In fact I think cold environments slow idle discharge. Batteries do have a reduced capacity when used in the cold, though, so if I did any midnight biking I would definitely have reduced range! That is not in the plan...
Thanks for the clarification. Did a bit of reading. As you said, passive discharge decreases with temperature. This is why some folks put batteries in the freezer! Battery performance also declines (capacity, amperage, voltage) with temperature as the underlying chemical reactions slow down, but this change is reversible, and capacity is restored by warming. Charging Li-ion batteries near freezing does seems to yield permanent damage, however, as Li can accumulate and "plate" the anode. For this reason, Teslas "precondition" (i.e., warm up to room temperature) their batteries en route to a supercharging station, and some phones are smart enough to refuse charging near freezing temperatures.
Very cool to know all that! Thanks for fishing out the fuller version of the story for us :)
So fun to read. I’ve always wanted to go to Saguaro Nat’l park. Are roadrunners as fast as the cartoons? ;)
I certainly couldn't catch one...
You saw a roadrunner and a coyote?!
Yeah, it almost looked like there was a chase on 😜
I'm curious what measures you have to prevent bike/battery theft. Where do you leave things when you go for a hike/run? Is that part of why you are mostly staying over on private property as opposed to public camp sites?
Good questions! I definitely have to take this into account. I have a pretty heavy-duty lock for my bike, and the bike's battery is only removable with a key. I locked my bike to a railing at the trailhead on when I went for the big hike on Sunday, and felt safe leaving everything else back at the horse ranch.
Your photos and descriptions of the desert make it come alive for any of us in less sun-blessed locations! Wow! I'll bet you gave Lou, the ranch owner, something to talk about at his next cowboy round up. Win-win!
Would love to be a fly on the wall for that cowboy round up!