Tips for extending lithium battery life

Hanno Labuschagne

Hanno Labuschagne

Journalist
Staff member
Joined
Sep 2, 2019
Messages
5,682
Reaction score
3,964
Tips for extending lithium battery life

Lithium-ion batteries have revolutionised how we store energy, powering everything from wireless earbuds to electric vehicles.

Thanks to their efficiency and longevity, these compact, high-energy-density power sources have become integral to our daily lives.
 
And very important is to ensure a full charge at least once a week to be sure the cells balance, otherwise you'll find the shown 25% is actually a 10% state of charge. I'm not sure though that running them down to say 20% is bad as their warranty is usually good for 4,000 full discharges, which is over 10 years. Discharging less will last longer but you have to also balance the returns you want to see - the more they are used with solar, the more solar you get to utilise through the night.
 
First Staff Writer article I've enjoyed and have no complaints with.
 
DrJohnZoidberg said:
Not really true as you don’t want them to just sit there, the battery will degrade over time regardless so it’s better to get your money out of them imo.
Click to expand...
That depends in what getting your money out of them looks like and what the difference between treading lightly or heavily looks like.

For me, getting my money out is about being online for work and play when I need to.

I think a big lesson here is dont underspec on the battery.
 
lkpat said:
Inb4 "but I paid for a 1C battery so I will use it at 1C"
Click to expand...
Apple folks. :p

Danie_V said:
And very important is to ensure a full charge at least once a week to be sure the cells balance, otherwise you'll find the shown 25% is actually a 10% state of charge. I'm not sure though that running them down to say 20% is bad as their warranty is usually good for 4,000 full discharges, which is over 10 years. Discharging less will last longer but you have to also balance the returns you want to see - the more they are used with solar, the more solar you get to utilise through the night.
Click to expand...
Article seems to be geared more to backup than solar. With solar you'll want to charge as fast as you can or it's wasted.
 
Petec said:
I have been using LiFePO4 batteries for over 10 years.
They maul Li-ion on every front, yet what astounds me is the lack of pursuit of the LiFePO4 tech.
Click to expand...
What you mean lack of pursuit?

The CATL M3P battery may be launched as a modified version of Tesla domestically produced Model 3, with a range expected to exceed 700 kilometers | LiFePO4 Battery

According to official data, M3P battery is a battery developed by CATL based on a new material system. Its energy density is 210Wh/kg, which is about 15% higher than Lithium iron phosphate battery. Its cost is equivalent to Lithium iron pho
www.lifepo4-battery.com
 
wingnut771 said:
What you mean lack of pursuit?

The CATL M3P battery may be launched as a modified version of Tesla domestically produced Model 3, with a range expected to exceed 700 kilometers | LiFePO4 Battery

According to official data, M3P battery is a battery developed by CATL based on a new material system. Its energy density is 210Wh/kg, which is about 15% higher than Lithium iron phosphate battery. Its cost is equivalent to Lithium iron pho
www.lifepo4-battery.com
Click to expand...
I meant lack of pursuit - years ago- when this tech was proved to be superior.
 
Only two complaints to an otherwise quite sound article:

(1) If I put 40 A into my 0.25 kWh battery, I will likely sing from the clouds. You should keep it relative if you talk general, so perhaps you meant 40% of 1C, not 40 Amps.

(2) Your voltage advise of "keep it right" is very sound, but your suggested levels refer to a specific Li ion battery, likely an NMC battery. Most Li batteries require slightly different charge voltage levels, and for LFP a charge voltage as high as 56+ V may be appropriate, depending on cell balance, etc. Inverters using batteries with a Battery Management System (BMS) though, SHOULD generally be set up to allow the battery BMS to control the charge voltage via comms back to the inverter, and the BMS will stop the charge based on individual cell over-voltage and other parameters.
 
H_M said:
LiFePO4 is also a type of Li ion (the "Li" in LFP :)). There are a miriad of Li ion based batteries. I get your drift that LFP is good, but it really depends on the application - some info here: https://batteryuniversity.com/article/bu-205-types-of-lithium-ion
Click to expand...
Ye, I get the underlying tech. I was waiting for a reply like this :)

I am talking about this...
The Li-Ion is 2 years old, and half dead.
The LiFePO4 is over 10 years old, still almost as good as new, and been charged a LOT of times.

batteries.jpg
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top
Sign up to the MyBroadband newsletter