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Lithium batteries have been integral to our daily lives for nearly twenty years. They’ve powered our phones, laptops, and countless other devices with little attention paid to their lifespan.
Today, however, lithium batteries are also found in our vehicles, both hybrids and electric cars, and are increasingly used to store energy in our homes, making them more essential than ever.
Have you noticed that your iPhone battery seems to get worse over time, usually within a year or so? Have you tried to run your laptop without mains power recently? This is partly due to the type of lithium battery used in these applications, but also to our general charging and discharging behaviour.
Lithium batteries come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and chemical compositions. In portable devices, you’ll most commonly find Lithium Cobalt (LC) or Lithium Nickel Manganese Cobalt (NMC) batteries, which are designed to maximise energy density, often at the cost of a shorter battery life. In vehicles and home energy storage systems, NMC batteries are still used, but they’re engineered for longer lifespans by sacrificing some energy density. More recently, Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) batteries have gained popularity in vehicles and are widely adopted in home applications due to their safer chemistry and longer lifespan compared to NMC batteries.
Why do batteries die?
Lithium batteries consist of a positive electrode and a negative electrode. When you charge the battery, lithium ions move toward the graphite anode (the negative electrode), causing the voltage to increase. However, discharging the battery doesn’t fully reset this process. Over time, a thin layer called the “solid electrolyte interface” forms on the surface of the negative electrode, creating a barrier that slows down lithium movement. Similarly, the positive electrode develops a restrictive layer known as electrolyte oxidation.
In simple terms, the longer a battery stays fully charged or at a high voltage, the faster it degrades. Keeping devices plugged in at 100% for hours, such as overnight can accelerate wear.
On the other hand, deep discharging can be even more damaging. At very low charge levels, metal ions can dissolve into the electrolyte and deposit on the negative electrode during charging, forming structures called dendrites. If a battery remains at a low state of charge for too long, these dendrites can cause electrolyte leakage. Eventually, they may form a connection between the negative and positive electrodes, causing a short circuit and battery failure. Just a few deep discharges like letting your phone drop to 0% or fully draining your laptop, can begin this irreversible damage. Constant exposure to low charge levels can also trigger other chemical reactions that shorten battery life.
Understanding why lithium batteries degrade helps us change how we use and care for them. As these batteries become more central to powering our homes, vehicles, and everyday devices, it’s increasingly important to adopt smarter charging habits. By being more mindful of how we charge and discharge our batteries, we can extend their lifespan, improve performance, and get the most value out of our energy investments.
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