1. Can lithium batteries be recharged?
Not all lithium batteries are rechargeable. Lithium batteries are often considered to be non-rechargeable disposable batteries, while lithium-ion batteries are rechargeable secondary batteries.
2. Best Practices for Recharging Lithium-Ion Batteries
Lithium-ion batteries are batteries that have excellent performance and are capable of continuous cycling, but in order to have even better performance, we usually use the following charging methods:
2.1 Use the appropriate charger
Use the original charger provided by the factory or a charger that is compatible with the specifications of the battery, which can maximize the charging efficiency of lithium-ion batteries while ensuring their charging safety.
2.2 Partial charging instead of full charging
Because the characteristics of lithium-ion batteries do not have the memory effect, so when using lithium-ion batteries, partial charging is better than deep charging cycle, if the full charging cycle will shorten its service life and cause irreversible damage. Therefore, we should prevent the battery from running out of power before charging, but rather charge it when its power is maintained at 20%-60%.
2.3 Keep the software and firmware of the device up-to-date
As inverters continue to improve, some of the newer systems have been able to provide software features that optimize charging performance, so we need to keep the inverter up to date at all times.
2.4 Avoid charging in extreme environments
Extreme environments, either high or low temperatures, can greatly interfere with the performance of lithium-ion batteries and can significantly reduce their lifespan.
2.5 When used for long-term storage, keep the power at half state.
For long-term storage of lithium-ion batteries as a backup power source, it is not necessary to charge it to a fully charged state, which may cause it to be in a fully discharged state, thereby increasing the loss of power in the storage process, and the impact on the service life of the battery.
2.6 Replace the battery at the right time
Although lithium-ion batteries are relatively durable, able to reach thousands of cycles, but all batteries have a limited service life, when the battery performance with the growth of time and continue to weaken, you need to take the initiative to replace the battery to ensure the normal use of the system.
3. Misconceptions about lithium-ion battery charging
Lithium-ion batteries are increasingly used in different industries due to their excellent performance. However, as its popularity grows, so does the misinformation about it. The following are answers to common misconceptions about lithium-ion batteries.
3.1 Prolonged charging can lead to overcharging of lithium-ion batteries
One of the most common misconceptions about lithium-ion batteries is that charging for a long time can damage them. Especially in for smart devices such as cell phones and computers, many people have this misunderstanding. In fact, many of today’s lithium-ion batteries have built-in charge protection to ensure that the battery can stop charging when it reaches its capacity limit. This self-protection can naturally drop a lithium-ion battery to 99% when it is about to be fully charged, then continue to charge it for a small amount of time, and then naturally drop it to 99% when it is close to 100%, and so on and so forth. Although this protective measure may accelerate the battery loss, but compared to normal use will not be much different.
3.2 Frozen environment equipment can be better charging
Since many lithium-ion batteries give off more heat when charging, making the battery itself hotter. Many people believe that by changing the ambient temperature and forcing the lithium-ion battery to cool down can prevent it from overheating during charging. However, this is actually wrong. Suddenly exposing lithium-ion batteries to low temperatures while they are charging will not only fail to improve their charging environment, but may also cause damage and failure of their internal components.
If your lithium-ion battery really emits more heat during the charging process, you can put it in a cool and ventilated environment to avoid sun exposure, which can protect the battery to a certain extent.
3.3 The need to reduce the lithium-ion battery power to zero before charging
People often think that in order to achieve maximum utilization, lithium-ion batteries need to be completely discharged before recharging, in fact, this is wrong. Almost all rechargeable batteries have different electrochemical compositions when recharged and discharged, so not only lithium-ion batteries, but all batteries should not be recharged after they have been completely depleted, which may cause serious long-term damage.
3.4 Lithium-ion batteries are dangerous when recharged
While lithium-ion batteries can be dangerous in some extreme temperatures, most battery fires and explosions are caused by improper handling by the user and other uncontrollable external factors. Lithium-ion batteries are safer and more reliable than lead-acid batteries, and are manufactured with stringent quality controls, so the likelihood of a lithium-ion battery leaving the factory with an internal failure is minimal. So as long as you follow the safety guidelines when using lithium-ion batteries, they are hardly likely to cause any disasters.
3.5 The first charge of a brand new lithium-ion battery needs to last more than 18h
The saying that a brand new battery needs to be charged for more than 18h originally came from nickel batteries, but obviously does not apply to lithium-ion batteries. Although this practice does not cause much harm, it does not “activate” the battery or increase its effective capacity. On the contrary, it may increase the wear and tear of the battery and reduce its duration of use.
3.6 Charge lithium-ion batteries only with the original charger.
For lithium-ion batteries, it does not necessarily need the original charger to charge them, but before using other chargers, you need to compare the parameters of the two, to ensure that they are in a state of compatibility, in order to prevent damage to lithium-ion batteries caused by the use of other chargers.
