Drill battery seems dead in cold weather but fine indoors

Symptoms

• Battery shows charge but drill barely runs outside in cold weather
• Same battery works normally once warmed back up indoors
• Problem is worse the colder it gets
• Runtime returns to normal the next warmer day

Likely causes

• CommonCold temperature reducing usable battery capacity and power deliveryBelow roughly 40°F (about 5°C), lithium-ion cells can deliver noticeably less usable power even when otherwise healthy.
• CommonBattery was stored outside or in a cold vehicle/garage overnightStarting already cold makes the effect much more pronounced.
• PossibleAging battery combined with cold making the effect worse than normalA battery that's already lost some capacity will show cold-weather effects more severely.
• Less commonTool's internal electronics also affected by extreme coldVery cold conditions can occasionally affect the tool's control circuitry, not just the battery.

What to do

1. Store batteries indoors at room temperature rather than in a cold vehicle, garage, or shed overnight.
2. Bring the battery inside to warm to room temperature before use, then transport it to the job site just before working.
3. Keep a spare battery warm (in a pocket or insulated bag) to swap in when the working one gets cold.
4. Avoid charging a very cold battery immediately; let it warm up first, since charging cold cells can also be less effective or blocked by the charger's safety circuit.
5. If performance doesn't improve once the battery is warmed to room temperature, the issue may be aging capacity rather than cold alone.
6. Consider keeping batteries in an insulated tool bag during outdoor winter work.

Tools and parts

• Insulated bag or case (optional)

Safety