Some folk who recall their youth as a fading dream, regret the sports injuries that linger from the past. Batteries too, seem to ‘remember’ the days when we treated them harshly. This blog post reminds us of the importance of helping batteries age gracefully. Although thoughtful use does not mean they will keep going forever…
Batteries Age Gracefully When We Avoid Extremes
Battery specialists reminded us not to leave our phones and laptops plugged in all day or night long, in the not-too-distant past. This would damage the battery they said, although the latest battery management systems prevent this nowadays.
But that was just the short answer we gave. It is only partly the truth, if by ‘batteries we mean the lithium-ion variety. This is because keeping these batteries on full charge on a permanent basis, generates additional heat. And heat, you see, is the enemy of lithium-ion batteries.
If we are serious about helping our batteries age gracefully, then we need to allow for another factor. The real drivers of lithium-ion battery aging, are how well or badly they manage voltage and internal temperature.
Lithium-ion batteries age fastest when their states of charge are at their extremes, that is near 0% and 100%. Maintaining full, or near-full charge for long periods can put additional voltage stress on a lithium-ion battery.
But the Real Enemy of Batteries is Heat
If we leave our phones or laptops plugged in and charging for long periods, while using energy-hungry apps, then this generates additional heat that puts exceptional stress on the chemicals inside the battery.
The gradual damage this causes can become more severe, if we are gaming for example, on a hot day. This is far more serious than leaving a lithium-ion battery charging overnight.
Your take away from this article is to keep your battery cool while recharging it. Forget about ice packs though. Charging a phone or laptop battery for a long period is not the issue. The issue is what else you do with it at the time!
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