What is battery life?

Battery life is a measurement of battery performance and lifespan. It can be expressed as the amount of time a battery can be used before it is no longer useful, as determined by the manufacturer in milliampere hours, or as the number of charge cycles.

What happens to battery energy at the end of life?

The battery energy at the end-of-life depends greatly on the energy status at the as-assembled states, material utilization, and energy efficiency. Some of the battery chemistries still can have a significant amount of energy at the final life cycle, and special care is needed to transfer, dispose of, and recycle these batteries.

Why is battery life important?

Battery life has been a crucial subject of investigation since its introduction to the commercial vehicle, during which different Li-ion batteries are cycled and/or stored to identify the degradation mechanisms separately (Käbitz et al., 2013; Ecker et al., 2014) or together.

Why is accurate battery lifetime information important?

Accurate predictions of the remaining battery lifetime at different operating conditions are essential for the battery management system to avoid potentially dangerous battery failures and guarantee reliable and efficient operation. The remaining battery lifetime information is also critical for battery second-life applications.

How long does a battery last?

Based on accelerated testing and real-world results, battery lifespan is typically 8 to 15 years, after which 20 to 30% of the original capacity is lost. The rate of capacity loss is influenced by factors like cycling frequency, temperature, and depth of discharge (DOD).

Why do electric vehicles need a long battery lifetime?

Both the electric vehicles and the infrastructure of renewable energy systems and smart grids require long battery lifetime to achieve economic viability. Battery degradation during operation is one of the most urgent and difficult issues, which become the limiting factor in battery lifetime.