#Charging lithium ion batteries full#
#Charging lithium ion batteries portable#

In these cases, manufacturers will typically use batteries designed for high drain rates (but have lower capacity), but anything you can do to be gentle on even these batteries will pay dividends in longer life. Sometimes taking it easy on batteries is not always possible because some products, such as lithium-ion powered tools, are hard on the battery by design (drills, lawnmower, snowblowers, etc.). If your phone gets hot from high power use (and not the sun or high room temperature), it is an indication that you are punishing the battery. Similarly, power hungry games can drain cellphone batteries quite quickly as well. For an EV, flooring the acceleration pedal on a regular basis is not good for the battery. Try not to abuse your battery by pulling as much power as quickly from it as possible. In fact, you should aim to charge to a maximum of 80% (more on that below). This is not always possible, but often is.ĭon’t leave any device connected to the charger once charging is complete.

Charging at 1/2 its capacity per hour is acceptable but chargers that can charge a phone in under 1.5 hours from empty can be very hard on the battery.įor power tools, try to get a slow charger instead of the quick chargers many of them come with. Avoid quick charging except for rare instances when you absolutely need the most juice as quickly as possible.

For a cellphone, use a charger that is rated for about 1/4 of the battery capacity if you can. Charging CharacteristicsĬharge your battery at a slow rate when possible. Many EVs have active cooling of batteries so that will take care of this for you, although you still save battery power by parking in the shade or a conditioned garage.Īlso, your pocket is about 30✬, so store your cellphone on a desk and out of direct sunlight if you’re in the office or at home when practical. Park an electric vehicle in the shade or a reasonable temperature garage when possible.

#Charging lithium ion batteries portable#

Don’t store a cellphone or other portable lithium battery in a car on a hot day, and keep them cool when not in use (bring your portable tool batteries inside instead of leaving them in an unconditioned shed/garage). Try to keep your batteries cool whenever possible. Don’t intentionally drain a battery before recharging for lithium-ion batteries.įor some equipment this is not realistic, in electric lawnmowers and other outdoor tools for example, but the manufacturer will hopefully have selected a battery chemistry designed for this use case. Partial cycles will give you many more cycles before the battery wears out, so when possible do partial discharges and then recharge. However, often you don’t know which brand/model of battery is in the item you buy.

#Charging lithium ion batteries full#

Lithium-ion batteries are often rated to last from 300-15,000 full cycles.

One cycle is fully charging the battery and then fully draining it. Often you will find it on there, either on the outside of the package or on the item itself. If possible, look for the date stamp on any battery powered item you intend to buy and try get the newest one. However, by following the recommendations below you can get a longer lifetime from the batteries you own. Try to buy batteries when you need them, because lithium ion ages from the moment it leaves the assembly line. These articles explain each facet in detail and are worth reviewing if you’re interested in understanding the logic behind the following recommendations.

Time spent at near full/empty – Part Four.

Discharging characteristics – Part Three.

Storage/operating temperature – Part Two.

Lithium batteries age from the following factors: Also, new technology may change the characteristics spoken about, making them less or more relevant in the future or even rendering them obsolete. The standard disclaimers apply, all advice is for informational purposes only, CleanTechnica is not responsible for any damages caused by inaccurate information or following any advice provided. The latter is not a well-known concept, but over time the battery is able to put out less amperage as the battery ages, and eventually the battery is unable to generate power quickly enough to operate the appliance at all even though the battery is not empty. This is especially useful for products that do not have replaceable batteries.īattery wear is loss of capacity and/or increased internal resistance. However, they have well defined characteristics that cause them to wear out, and understanding these characteristics can help you to double the life of your batteries - or more. They are used in everything from cellphones to power tools to electric cars and more. Lithium-ion batteries are the most common battery in consumer electronics.