Lithium batteries: here's how to make them last

When your hand feels cold, your mobile phone does too - and that's bad for the battery. With a headset and voice commands, you can keep your phone nice and warm in your pocket. — dpa

Lithium-ion batteries can be found in many places in the home: They are widely used in everything from smartphones to notebooks to Bluetooth boxes.

But what many people don't know is that the life of these batteries can be significantly extended by disciplined charging and discharging.

In general, they should never be completely discharged, as this so-called deep discharge can lead to dangerous defects within the battery cells, according to Tuev Sued, a technical standards inspectorate in Germany.

Many people leave their smartphones plugged in overnight, which results in them being fully charged by morning. However, full charging should also be avoided, Tuev Sued says. Instead, the ideal charge level for a battery is between 30-70%.

The good news is that some high-quality batteries and devices already have a battery management system (BMS) that can control the charging and discharging behaviour of the battery cells.

It’s not only improper charging and discharging that is harmful to batteries. You should also protect them from extreme heat and cold as well as from moisture, shocks, and falls.

Damage to the battery cells caused by a physical impact or extreme temperatures can lead to short circuits and thermal reactions. Then there’s even a risk of explosion, depending on the design and materials used, the experts warn. – dpa