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LESSON 6 · Electricity & Circuits Demystified

Heat Is the Real Enemy

While cold usually temporarily reduces performance, heat permanently ages lithium-ion batteries.

Above about 35°C, battery aging speeds up because heat accelerates side reactions that grow the solid-electrolyte interphase (SEI) film. Each bit of extra growth locks away a little more lithium and raises resistance. The SEI does not simply start breaking down at 35°C; true thermal decomposition happens much hotter.