How long does a lithium-ion battery pack last?
The invention of lithium batteries has completely transformed our world. They power everything from our smartphones and power tools to large off-grid electricity systems and electric vehicles. They’re also extremely energy-dense, low maintenance, and have long shelf lives.
Battery-powered tools have come a long way in the last decade. Moving to lithium-ion as an energy storage medium, instead of the older nickel-cadmium batteries, improves performance and runtimes.
Today’s rechargeable batteries are better than ever before. Nearly every gadget has one, and you rely on its power for daily tasks. Most devices depend on lithium-ion technology. How long do lithium batteries last? It’s time to take a look at this simple product that has complex, internal happenings.
What Are Lithium-Ion Batteries?
Lithium-ion batteries are the most advanced form of commercially available battery technology we currently have. They use lithium ions as the main component of their chemistry, which contain many more valence electrons than other battery types. This means they can store a lot more energy for their size.
Like all batteries, lithium batteries have an anode, a cathode, a separator, and an electrolyte. However, their electrochemistry is what makes them unique. They can use a variety of different materials for the cathode, but the most common are: lithium iron phosphate, lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide, and lithium cobalt oxide.
As for the anode, the most common material you’ll find in lithium-ion batteries is graphite. It’s porous, has excellent conductivity, and has a good voltage match with the above cathodes. This combination of materials creates a battery that’s second to none when it comes to energy density, weightlessness, and longevity.
How Long Do Lithium-Ion Batteries Last?
The answer to this question is going to depend on the battery. There are many different types of lithium chemistries and pack designs that vary drastically. For example, a pouch cell Lithium Polymer with a cobalt aluminum oxide chemistry may only achieve 100 discharge cycles. However, a high-quality cylindrical lithium iron phosphate cell could exceed 20,000 cycles under proper conditions.
Our Aimeno lithium batteries can last anywhere between 3,000 – 5,000 usable discharge and recharge cycles under real-world conditions. However, that doesn’t mean your battery will automatically stop working after discharging for the 5,000th time. It simply means that your battery won’t function as optimally as it did when it was new. In most cases, lithium batteries will still hold 75-80% of their energy capacity as they age.
We use high-quality lithium cells that are matched together to provide the longest-lasting safe battery pack possible.
How Can I Make My Lithium-Ion Battery Last Longer?
While “3,000 – 5,000 cycles” is the standard lifespan of a lithium-ion battery, there are ways to extend the life of your battery so it averages closer to 5,000 cycles. First and foremost, make sure you’re using the correct battery charger for your lithium batteries. While lead-acid chargers may send power to your lithium batteries, they don’t charge them optimally. You probably won’t get an adequate depth of charge as you would with a lithium charger.
Second, it’s important to avoid completely depleting your batteries. Yes, lithium-ion batteries are amazing because they can handle a 100% depth of discharge and still work exceptionally well. However, if you can avoid doing this repeatedly, you’ll increase the lifespan of your batteries significantly.
Lastly, it’s best to avoid charging your batteries in extremely cold weather. While lithium iron phosphate batteries can handle dramatic temperature changes with ease compared to other types of batteries, they won’t allow a charge if their internal temperature reaches below 24 degrees Fahrenheit. This protects against lithium plating, which can be dangerous and cause short-circuiting.
Most lithium Ion battery packs manufacturers reference lithium battery life as a function of charging patterns because it’s more accurate than an expiration date. The battery may have sat idle for a few months before being used for the first time. It may be stored and rarely used afterward. The charge and discharge pattern gives you a personalized view of how long a battery should last.
The Cycle Definition
An issue arises with lithium battery life expectancy when the term “cycle” isn’t clearly defined. Everyone charges their batteries at different times, such as:
Every night
As soon as the battery fails to power up entirely
At the halfway point
A cycle is defined as the moment you attach a charger to the battery and let it power up the cells. Waiting longer time periods between charging sessions seems like a clever way to prolong a battery’s lifespan, but battery power doesn’t work in that manner.
Avoid Full Discharges
Whether you’re powering boating accessories or the common cellphone, avoid full discharges of your battery. The best way of protecting the energy density and longevity of the battery is by keeping it full. There’s excessive stress on a battery when it’s fully discharged on a regular basis. It’ll end up lasting for a shorter time period than it should.
Fighting the Memory Myth
Unlike other materials, lithium ion doesn’t have memory. You may have encountered concerns about lithium ion maintenance and creating a memory that’s short when based on charging patterns. These batteries respond well to partial discharges and topping off the charge whenever possible. These actions don’t reduce the lifespan at all. In fact, maintaining a relatively full charge is how the battery will last longer than before.
Go for Cool
The most influential way to increase lithium ion battery life is by keeping the product cool. Hot temperatures will break down the internal components on both physical and chemical levels. Keep the battery and its device out of direct sunlight while storing them in cool, dry areas otherwise. It’s natural for the battery to warm up while in use, but it’s excessive heat that’s the real enemy.
Use Stamped Dates as Guides
A helpful way to estimate the average lithium ion battery life is by focusing on the stamped date. Most battery manufacturers add dates to their products as a way to guide your purchasing habits. A date farther out into the future has a longer lifespan than an older battery, for example. Remember that these dates aren’t concrete representations of actual life. Under ideal conditions, they can last up to and past these dates at times.
Don’t Make the Charger the Enemy
In the early days of chargers and rechargeable batteries, paying careful attention to the charge time was how battery lifespans were protected. Today’s technology, however, takes the effort out of charging.
How long can lithium-ion batteries be stored?
We wanted to start with battery storage. How long they last when used is one thing—but what about batteries sitting on shelves? After all, that might affect whether or not you want to pick up that “used” pack at the flea market.
A number of external factors affect a battery pack’s lifespan on the shelf. What was the state of the pack’s charge when it was stored? Will the user store the battery in hotter or colder temperatures? Will it be stored on the tool, on the shelf, or on the charger? Who made the internal electronics, and how well do those electronics control the current within the pack?
Of course, if a battery pack drops below a certain charge capacity, the pack will cease charging at all. That signals the end of its usable life, though it’s possible to “resurrect” some dead batteries. The time it takes for this to occur depends, again, on manufacturing processes and components as well as those external factors.
All of that having been said, there seems to be a consensus regarding the average battery pack shelf life. If you take care to store your batteries correctly, you can expect your batteries to last anywhere between 3–6 years on a shelf.
Do Lithium Batteries Expire If Not Used?
Lithium batteries don’t necessarily expire, but they do experience a small amount of energy depletion when left sitting. Specifically, when left in the right conditions, our LiFePO4 batteries experience a 2-3% depletion each month. Thus, you may come back to completely dead batteries if you leave them sitting long enough without a charge. This does take a long time though, so if you’re storing your batteries over the winter, for instance, this is often not too long.
How many charge cycles do you expect to get?
Again, the answer to this question largely depends on a number of variables. Battery configuration and capacity play a part, as do ambient storage temperatures.
User behavior also affects how many charging cycles a battery can go through before it craps out. Believe it or not, you really shouldn’t use your battery packs in place of a hammer. Blunt force trauma will adversely affect the lifespan of your Li-ion batteries.
So, in terms of charging cycles, how long do Lithium-ion batteries last? Despite the aforementioned variables, most of our manufactures claim that users should expect to get over 1,000 charge cycles out of any given battery.
What Exactly is a Charging Cycle?
Now, some of that depends on how a manufacturer defines what a charging cycle is. Typically, one charging cycle equals running a battery down and charging it up again. However, most batteries count one full charging cycle every time you throw your battery on the charger. That occurs regardless of how much charge the battery actually needed.
How Do You Store Lithium-Ion Batteries for the Winter?
Unlike lead-acid batteries, it’s not absolutely essential to remove your batteries and store them above freezing temperatures. In fact, your LiFePO4 batteries will be just fine in typical freezing temperatures as long as you fully charge them and disconnect them from any power source. Nevertheless, if you expect temperatures to plummet to below -15 degrees Fahrenheit, we recommend removing them and storing them at warmer temperatures.
Can I Recycle My Lithium Batteries When They Are Used Up?
Yes! You can and should recycle your lithium batteries when you’re done with them. At Aimeno, we pride ourselves on creating batteries with no hazardous materials. However, batteries that still have a slight charge can pose a fire hazard if they are shorted out. Moreover, your lithium batteries contain critical and limited raw materials. In other words, once these resources are gone, they’re gone. Because of this, we need to reuse what we already have as much as possible in order to have batteries in the future.
Are Lithium-Ion Batteries Worth It?
When compared to lead-acid batteries of the past, lithium-ion batteries are truly superior in every way. They weigh less, hold more power, and have a lower self-discharge rate. They also require less maintenance and have a much longer lifespan. Yes, you’ll pay more in upfront costs, but the overall savings are significant. This is why we believe lithium-ion batteries are completely worth it. They provide a hassle-free, reliable way to store large amounts of power for when you need it most.
Life cycle of lithium-ion battery
The minimum lifespan most manufacturers expect from lithium-ion batteries is around 5 years or at least 2,000 charging cycles. But, if well cared for and used in proper conditions, lithium-ion batteries can last as long as 3,000 cycles.