Lithium battery life
The reason why lithium-ion batteries are widely used can be said to be that they have a longer life than other secondary batteries. So how much longer is the life of lithium-ion batteries than other batteries?
There are several factors that determine the life of a battery. When lithium-ion batteries are discharged, their reaction is different from the battery reaction that occurs in other secondary batteries, so lithium-ion battery electrodes age less. In addition, the ability to charge and discharge repeatedly and the low self-discharge are also factors that extend the life.
If the battery life is expressed in numerical values, the number of cycles and calendar life are used. The number of cycles indicates the number of times the battery can be repeatedly charged and discharged if it is discharged to the limit, the charge amount decays to 0%, fully charged to 100%, and then fully discharged to 0% as a cycle. Calendar life indicates the time that the battery can be used even if it is left alone in a specified state of charge.
Various factors such as battery manufacturers, products, working environment and conditions, and maintenance conditions affect these numerical values that represent battery life, and they cannot be generalized and attributed to any one. For example, according to the “Battery Strategy” data released by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, the number of cycles of lead-acid batteries is 3,150 times, and the calendar life is 17 years, the number of cycles of nickel-metal hydride batteries is 2,000 times, and the calendar life is 5 to 7 years, and the number of cycles of lithium-ion batteries is 3,500 times, and the calendar life is 6 to 10 years.
From this point of view, although the life of lead-acid batteries is longer than that of lithium-ion batteries, it can be seen from the fact that lead-acid batteries are large and heavy when installed in cars, and they cannot be compared with lithium-ion batteries in size and weight.
