Researchers discover a surprising way to jump-start battery performance

Stanford CA (SPX) Sep 01, 2024 - A lithium-ion battery's very first charge is more momentous than it sounds. It determines how well and how long the battery will work from then on - in particular, how many cycles of charging and discharging it can handle before deteriorating.

In a study published in Joule, researchers at the SLAC-Stanford Battery Center report that giving batteries this first charge at unusually high currents increased their average lifespan by 50% while decreasing the initial charging time from 10 hours to just 20 minutes.