There’s no straightforward answer to that. Most battery manufacturers barely mention directly the exact lifespan of their battery products. Instead, they show the lifespan through the battery information like the cycle life, depth of discharge and warranties.
Well, the lifespan of a battery cannot be a particular figure due to certain conditions and factors that influence it under normal use. So, if the battery lifespan is mentioned, you’ll see a range of years, for example, 3-5 years. It’s often estimated.
This article details the technique of ascertaining the lifespan of a battery. You will also learn the determining factors and how best to extend the life of your battery
Determining the Lifespan of A Battery
The good part is that you can calculate your battery's expected lifespan yourself. As long as you have information regarding the battery’s cycle life and depth of discharge, you can do so. Through these calculations, you can cross-check if your value matches the manufacturer’s indicated lifespan to confirm the brand's authenticity.
Step 1: Find the Battery Specifications
You’ll begin by looking for the battery specifications to gather the cycle life and depth of discharge of the battery in concern. For example, a lithium-ion battery may have 5000 cycles at 100% DOD (depth of discharge).
Depth of discharge is the battery capacity used when discharging the battery in each cycle. While cycle life is the number of charge/discharge cycles a battery provides before it starts degrading and losing efficiency. These two properties heavily decide how long your battery is going to last.
Step 2: Estimate the frequency of usage
Apart from the cycle life and the depth of discharge, get to know the number of charge/discharge cycles used per day. Your application will basically determine this.
You will assess how much battery charge you use and how many times you recharge within a 24-hour period. If your battery goes through one discharge-charge cycle every single day, then that will be 365 cycles in a year.
Step 3: Calculate the Lifespan Using the Formula
The basic formula for estimating the lifespan is as below:
Lifespan (years) = Cycle life Number of cycles per year
Calculation Example
A battery rated 2000 cycles at 80% DOD and usage is one cycle per day (365 cycles per year), then its estimated lifespan at that depth of discharge will be:
Lifespan in Years = 2000 cycles 365 cycles/year 5.5 years
Therefore, such a battery will last for about 5.5 years before you have to replace it with a new one.
Other Factors Influencing the Lifespan of the Battery
There are other elements that affect the battery's durability besides cycle life and depth of discharge. Therefore, you are aware of which strings to pull in order to actualize or prolong the anticipated lifespan.
Charging and Discharging Tendencies
This plays a big part in a battery's lifespan since it impacts its capacity and efficiency. So, make sure to apply favorable charging practices that support the battery’s good health. Avoid overcharging and deep discharging, as these have destructive effects.
When you overcharge, you strain the battery to have more capacity when it has reached its maximum capacity. The battery then experiences overheating, which degrades the battery components over time.
Deep discharging means letting the battery release its charge to a very low state of charge or complete depletion, which also ruins the battery's chemical materials. These chemicals are stressed to their reactive limits, and some of the reactions become irreversible when recharging the battery, so the battery cannot attain its full capacity.
Frequency of Use
The more often you use the battery, the faster it uses up its cycle life. When this happens, the battery will likely not last up to the expected lifespan. There are batteries designed for daily use, like the one in your smartphone, which can handle only one charge-discharge cycle per day. These batteries are mostly lithium-ion types.
We also have batteries built for devices demanding a lot of electrical power. These can operate normally with multiple cycles within 24 hours.
Therefore, find out how frequently the battery you have should be charged or discharged before starting to use it. You can ascertain this through the intended application for the battery outlined under the manufacturer’s specifications.
State of the Environment
Environmental factors like temperature and humidity are vital to a battery’s life. Extreme temperatures, when they're too hot or too cold, greatly degrade the electrolyte and the solid battery components.
Hot weather triggers aggressive chemical reactions that catalyse degradation. On the other hand, too much cold slows down the reactions, stressing the battery. This contributes to a declining battery capacity and energy supply.
Additionally, the air can be extremely humid. Constant exposure of the batter to extreme moisture aggravates the corrosion of the physical parts. When the terminals and casings weaken or crack, moisture ingress is possible, reducing the battery's lifespan.
Storage and Maintenance Practices
The location and how best to store and care for your battery are equally major concerns. Combating prevailing environmental challenges can go a long way in ensuring the battery's lifespan.
If the air is too humid, protect the battery with an extra weatherproof case. If the temperatures are high or too cold, the rule of thumb is always to keep the battery in a cool, dry place and possibly on an elevated surface in case of floods and damp ground.
Not forgetting, how often do you inspect your battery? For the battery to last long, you have to keep an eye on its general condition regularly. It’s very important to discover any defects in good time and eradicate or repair them before it gets detrimental.
Freshness of the Battery
The lifespan of your battery also boils down to whether it’s new or recycled. By new, we mean the battery has never been used before and it was made with unused high-quality material.
Therefore, unlike recycled batteries, the battery achieves its full performance capability. Although recycled batteries ensure environmental sustainability, they can be susceptible to wear, especially the physical parts. So, they are excellent for light applications unless the recycling process involves high-level technology.
Tips to Prolong the Battery’s Lifespan for Extended Use
While a battery's expected lifespan is limited, you can easily extend it for longer-lasting service. In this section, familiarise yourself with helpful hacks that increase the number of years you will use your battery.
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Applying a Battery Management System
Traditional batteries, mostly lead-acid and alkaline batteries, do not have a built-in Battery Management System (BMS). So, it’s good to get your battery a BMS separately if it doesn't come with one to accurately check its parameters like voltage, capacity, and charging.
A BM will warn you when certain anomalies, such as overcharging, overheating, and excessive discharge, occur. Given this information, you can tell if the battery is not working normally, look for the cause, and correct it instantly. Also, it averts overcharging by alerting you when the battery has fully charged.
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Charging Properly
Charging is not basically plugging in the charger, and all is good. We recommend constantly partial charging the battery to a charge between 20% and 80%.
The battery, often reaching 100%, triggers persistent high voltages, which easily strain it. Letting it go below 20% will be over-discharging the battery.
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Charge Using a Compatible Charger
The battery charges well when you use the charger it came with in its package. This is the charger the manufacturer designed specifically for that particular battery. Since it’s the original charger, it meets the battery’s power requirements, and most of the time, it’s protected by a warranty in case it malfunctions.
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Adhere to the Manufacturer’s Battery Manual
Following the guidelines from the manual keeps the battery in tip-top shape. It provides safety mechanisms and the most appropriate operating conditions for the battery. For instance, you will find the recommended charging range, periodic maintenance practices, and the right storage temperatures.
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Right and Tight Terminal Connections
A right connection is connecting the positive cable to the positive terminal and the negative cable to the negative terminal. As you attach the cables, you make sure you tighten them snugly using pliers or wrench. That way, electricity flows smoothly without damaging resistance.
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Regular Cleaning and Inspection
Make it a weekly routine to clean the battery casing and the terminal posts where the connectors attach to the battery. That eliminates accumulating debris and dirt which develop corrosion. While cleaning, inspect for cracks, swells and punctures and if there are any chemical leakages before they become a big issue.
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Avoid Long-Term Idling
Remember, a battery naturally self-discharges. When left unused for long periods, it discharges to a critical state of charge and reduces its capacity.
The longer it stays in that condition, the diminished capacity becomes permanent. When you now want to use the battery, it will keep shutting down prematurely because it’s unable to hold much charge.
Signs of A Battery’s End of Life
You also need to be aware of the indicators of a battery nearing the end of its lifespan, which we’re briefing you below:
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Charging Slowly: You might notice that the battery takes longer to charge than when it was new.
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Battery Draining Fast: If the battery charge depletes abnormally fast, the battery is almost dying completely. So you find it powers a device for a very short duration.
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Unusual Overheating; An overly degraded battery often overheats unnecessarily. It becomes too hot when it’s charging or delivering power to a gadget.
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Warning BMS Messages: You might see frequent error messages warning about the battery's status. The BMS also notifies you that the battery has utilised its maximum cycle count.
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Visible Swells or Corrosion: When your battery has been fine for long then suddenly it is swelling and parts corroding even with ardent maintenance.
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Increased Self-discharge: The battery starts to lose charge by itself faster than before
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Devices Suddenly Going Off When Charging: the battery may show it has enough charge, but when charging, the device doesn’t take up the charge and
Final Thoughts
Summarising everything, you can determine the lifespan of your battery by dividing the cycle life by the cycles expected under use. This calculation gives you the estimated lifespan, which helps you decide whether to keep the battery, supplement it with more batteries, or opt for a battery with a greater cycle life and lifespan.
