Why do you say that the battery must be used frequently to exert its maximum performance?

If the traditional nickel battery is charged for too long, the liquid in the nickel battery will crystallize, preventing the charger from fully charging. As such, in order to maximize its performance, it must be fully charged or periodically discharged. As for lithium batteries, we can charge lithium-ion batteries at any convenient moment, without the trouble of nickel batteries at all.

Rumors about the life of lithium batteries: lithium batteries can only be charged 300 to 500 times, and then need to be replaced.

Correct statement: Lithium battery life is related to the number of charging cycles completed, not directly related to the number of charging cycles.

A charging cycle means that all the power of the battery is used from full to empty, and then from empty to full. This is not the same as recharging once. See the figure below for its meaning.

The above figure shows that first charge 40%, after using it for a while, then charge 20%, next time after using it, charge 30%, and then next time 20%… In the middle of the 20%, that is, just added 10% % power, a total of one charging cycle is completed. After that comes the next cycle.

To give a simple example, a lithium battery only used half of its power on the first day, and then fully charged it. If it is still the same the next day, that is, charge half of it, and charge it twice in total. This can only be counted as one charging cycle, not two. Therefore, it may usually take several charges to complete a cycle. Every time a charging cycle is completed, the power will decrease a little. However, the reduction is very small. High-quality batteries will still retain 80% of their original capacity after being charged for many cycles. This is the reason why many lithium-ion powered products are still used as usual after two or three years. Of course, the lithium battery life will eventually need to be replaced.

The life of lithium batteries is generally 300 to 500 charging cycles. Assuming that the electricity provided by a complete discharge is Q, if the reduction in electricity after each charging cycle is not considered, the lithium battery can provide or supplement 300Q-500Q of electricity in total during its life. From this we know that if you charge 1/2 every time, you can charge 600-1000 times; if you charge 1/3 every time, you can charge 900-1500 times. By analogy, if it is charged randomly, the number of times is indefinite. In short, no matter how much you charge it, it will add a total of 300Q to 500Q of electricity, which is constant. Therefore, we can also understand that the life of a lithium battery is related to the total charging capacity of the battery, and has nothing to do with the number of charging times. The impact of deep charging and shallow charging on the life of lithium batteries is not much different.

In fact, shallow discharge and shallow charging are more beneficial to lithium batteries. Only when the power module of the product is calibrated for lithium batteries, it is necessary to deep discharge and deep charge. Therefore, products powered by lithium batteries do not have to stick to the process. Everything is convenient and can be charged at any time without worrying about affecting the lifespan.

If the lithium battery is used in an environment higher than the specified operating temperature, that is, above 35°C, the battery power will continue to decrease, that is, the battery power supply time will not be as long as usual. If the device is charged at such a temperature, the damage to the battery will be even greater. Even if the battery is stored in a hot environment, it will inevitably cause corresponding damage to the quality of the battery. Therefore, keeping it at a suitable operating temperature is a good way to extend the life of lithium batteries.

If you use a lithium battery in a low-temperature environment, that is, below 4°C, you will also find that the battery life is reduced, and the original lithium battery of some mobile phones cannot even be charged in a low-temperature environment. But don’t worry too much, this is only a temporary situation, different from using in a high temperature environment, once the temperature rises, the molecules in the battery are heated, and the previous power will be restored immediately.

To get the most out of a lithium-ion battery, you need to use it frequently so that the electrons in the lithium-ion battery are always in a state of flow. If you do not use the lithium battery frequently, please remember to complete a charging cycle for the lithium battery every month and do a power calibration, that is, deep discharge and deep charge once.