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The rate at which a battery is discharged
and its operating temperature have a profound effect on its
capacity and life. An example of the effect of discharge
rate on battery capacity is shown in Figure A for traction
batteries. This figure shows that batteries discharged at a
low rate will be able to deliver a higher capacity than
those discharged at a high rate.
The depth of discharge also affects the life
of a battery. As shown in Figure B for a typical traction
battery, discharges beyond about 80% of capacity can be
expected to shorten battery life.
Colder operating temperatures will yield a
little extra life, but also lower the capacity of lead acid
cells. High temperatures yield higher capacity (see Figure
C) but have a detrimental effect on life.
Figure A
Typical effects of discharge rate on battery capacity
Figure B
Typical effects of depth of discharge on traction battery
life
Figure C
Typical effects of operating temperatures on traction
battery capacity
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