Rechargeable batteries can age naturally for a variety of reasons, whether or not we use them. But the rate at which this happens depends on the number of times we recycle them. This aging process can lead to diminishing capacity, or the amount of energy that the battery can hold. Today we highlight the relationship between lithium-ion battery failure and aging.
How Use Influences Lithium-Ion Battery Aging
Higher operating temperatures and full states of charge can accelerate battery aging, according to Georg Angenendt writing in Accure.Net. In fact, as the learned scientist continues, this step-change can be quite dramatic above 90%.
Angenendt makes the point that if the degree of charge remains within a limited range, then the aging effect will be lower.
But the charging power itself adds another layer to a multi-faceted story. The Accure article confirms that fast charging increases lithium-ion battery temperature, as it pushes high power through the chemistry.
We draw these threads together in the closing paragraphs of this article, as we report on new research available on the Springer.Com portal.
Twist in the Tale of Battery Charging and Aging
Peipei Chao and Duanqian Cheng are engineering and computer scientists, affiliated with Chinese Academy of Engineering. They gathered the collected opinion on safety challenges, facing lithium-ion batteries as they age.
The first signs are reducing battery capacity, and declining performance. But these twin phenomena can eventually lead to internal short circuiting and overcharging, the researchers claim.
Peipei Chao and Duanqian Cheng narrowed their focus to the influence of ‘different aging paths’ on lithium-ion battery failure. By these they mean ‘low-temperature cycling, normal-temperature cycling, and high-temperature calendric aging’.
Their report concludes that ‘aged batteries exhibit milder reactions compared to new cells during failure, with lower reaction temperatures and gas emissions’. This is valuable input to battery management and maintenance going forward.
More Information
Electric Car Battery Aging Phenomenon
Managing Battery Capacity with a BMS System
Preview Image: Capacity and Power Fade
