Since I got a new laptop about a year ago, the battery has changed from a mobile work enabler (up to for 4 hours) to a non-functional laptop weight-doubler. Even the computer noticed!
Battery failure happens with a lot of modern devices (like the i-pod, currently replaceable though) but if you’re lucky, your gadget is outdated before its battery is.
Over the years, I’d learned that the best way to treat your rechargeable batteries is to completely uncharge them every now and then, before recharching. This would avoid the so-called memory effect in which a battery is able to hold less charge over time. However, the newer lithium-ion batteries seem to different from the more traditional Nickel-Cadmium batteries.
At first, complete discharging of a Lithium-ion battery should be avoided. Complete depletion leads to a non-functional battery. Therefore, devices protect your battery by switching of early (e.g. by software).
Second, hot batteries lose capacity. A battery stored inside a poorly ventilated laptop may be subject to a prolonged exposure to much higher temperatures than 25 °C, which will significantly shorten its life.
- “Storage Temperature of 40 °C à 35% Permanent Capacity Loss after 1 year”
- “Storage Temperature of 60 °C à 40% Permanent Capacity Loss after 3 months”
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So, to get the best out of your laptop batteries, they should be charged early and often, and when using a notebook computer running from fixed line power over extended periods, the battery can be removed and stored in a cool place so that it is not affected by the heat produced by the computer. If you don’t care about battery life then the explosion hazards might be a good incentive to abide these rules…