4 Tips to Make Your Batteries Last Longer

For well over 200 hundred years, the electric battery has powered the modern world. They’ve seen empires fall, devastating world wars, and technological disruptions -finally helping to bring in the third – and fourth – industrial revolution.
From television sets to aeroplanes, cars to toothbrushes – batteries have gradually come to power most devices, and indeed our whole lives. We have come to depend on these sources of power ever since their first inception in the eighteenth-century. Since then, almost every device, machine – whatever – needs a battery to survive.
In an ideal world, these batteries that power our devices would last for a long time. Imagine if our electric cars could continually run for miles and miles. Or if our mobile phones lasted hours longer and only needed a few seconds to charge. Imagine a world in which our batteries became so efficient and environmentally friendly that the most powerful could fit in our hands and be just as easily recycled as when we first bought them.
As amazing as this reality would be – and it is surely on its way – we haven’t quite reached that stage just yet. Batteries have limited lifespans, owing to their chemical contents. So, although we can re-charge them, they ultimately lose power over time.
But that doesn’t mean we can’t take the right steps to prolong their lives and get the most out of them.
That’s what today’s infographic from Battery Shop Sussex is all about. If you’re looking to prolong the life of batteries, you’ve come to the right place.
Use It or Lose It
Coming in at number one is the need to use your batteries or they’ll quickly deplete. It’s natural that batteries will, over time, lose their power. But batteries that see no regular use will often degenerate faster than those that do.
Keeping Cool
We’re a lot like batteries, you and me. Just like our bodies, temperature has a massive influence over a battery’s overall well-being! Lithium-ion batteries, some of the most common in use today, love to operate in temperatures between 20-30 degrees Celsius.
No doubt we’ve probably all got some experience of this. How many times have we been outside in gorgeous weather and our phones have unfortunately taken a nap due to excess battery heat? If given the choice, batteries would most definitely prefer to stay in a cool, dry environment.
No More Memories
Naturally, when charging our batteries, it’s very tempting to go all the way to 100%. In the short-term, this makes sense – why wouldn’t you want a fully charged battery?
However, it’s important to bear in mind a few things, such as how often you use the battery, and how often you normally charge it. When they’re not being used, batteries will deplete faster from 100% charge. So, if you don’t use your battery day-in, day-out, it’s best to keep the battery at around 20%. It might sound quite contradictory, but it’ll actually help your battery’s lifespan over time.
On the other hand, if you find yourself charging and discharging all the time, it’s best to keep the battery at around the 50% mark.
Ins and Outs
We’d all like our batteries to be charged as fast as possible. And sometimes, we’ll even have our devices perform powerful tasks that demand quite a lot of CPU – all while the battery is still charging for us.
When we do this, we’re essentially putting our batteries in overdrive. Not only will it take longer to charge – it’ll damage it altogether. Look after your battery and it will look after you!