At a local Walmart, I saw some New Bright R/C cars that didn't look like the other ones they had on the shelves.
After looking at in details, its seems like they both were manufactured LAST YEAR 1) April 2016 & 2) May 2016.
My question is:
Will the battery be damaged/deteriorated at all since its been sitting on the shelf for 1.5+ years without being used or even charged?
Thanks.
Essentially all common batteries degrade with time
... which is a slightly different question and reply than ...
I know that. What I am asking, if anyone can answer, is: If a lithium-ion battery, having been sitting on a shelf for 1.5+ years, would it be damaged or degrade at a much faster rate than normal, since its been just sitting there, not having been used, or even recharged throughout this time? Is the life expectancy affected/shortened?
And the answer to this is yes.
Lithium ion batteries degrade with ...
• age
• heat
• extremes of voltage (state of charge)
• duty cycles (discharge / recharge)
(and other factors, but the above are the most relevant here)
Would a charged battery still last/work as if it were brand new/newly manufactured?
So, your answer to this is no, and to be precise about it ... it will not be
identical to a brand new newly manufactured battery.
Now, will it be "ok" , or "similar" , or "acceptable" ... ?
Maybe, but that depends upon many factors, most of which you have not stated (and may not be available to you)
What is the current voltage ?
At what temperature has it been stored ?
Has the voltage and temperature (both) been (relatively) constant ?
Etc, etc, etc ?