DeWalt 20V Lithium-Ion Battery Shelf LIfe?

[lbperry]

About 6 months ago I bought a DeWalt 20V Lithium-Ion Angle Drill. It had 1 battery with it. For Christmas my wife gave me a DeWalt 20V drill that had two batteries. Can't see myself using more than two batteries at once. Was thinking about putting the extra battery back until I need it. What is the shelf life of one of these batteries? Would it need to be periodically charged or just forget it until I need it?
Any info appreciated,
Thanks,

 

[cheechi]

Maybe you won't use them both at the same time (1 batt per tool) or at the same time (one charging/one in use) but I would say having at least 1 more than you think you need now won't hurt.

My Bosch 18v batteries from 08 are still going strong. If they have lost any power I haven't noticed; they are big packs and don't get used as often as my slim ones, so they've done their fair share of sitting around. Do yourself a favor and keep them in conditioned space in your home if you can help it when they're not in use. I haven't always done that with mine; maybe I'm lucky but it hasn't hurt too bad letting them get too hot/cold though I try to avoid it.

 

[N.I.]

The biggest downside to Lithium Ion batteries is that they have a limited life, whether you use them or not.

Depending on how you store them (temperature, percentage charge) you can lose between 2% and 20% of their capacity each year.

Your best option would be to sell one of the new batteries on ebay and then buy a replacement in 3 years time.

 

[Bryanthegreat]

I would use it or sell it.

 

[uart]

Selling is an option, but it would depend on how much you're going to get for it and how much hassle it is to sell. Normally when you want quick hassle free sale then you've got to take a price hit. So not necessarily ideal, considering that sooner or later you are gonna want another battery.

If you want to store one pack then store it partially charged, with the pack voltage at about 19 volts (compared with full charge will be about 20.5 volts) and store it somewhere cool but not freezing. Rotate the stored battery with one of the used ones every 6 months or so, to make sure that none of the cells get too low.

Stored properly (30 < Temp < 75 degrees F, charge level around 40%), a pack should maintain 90% of it's capacity over 3 to 4 years.