How to Extend Battery Life: Stop Killing Your Batteries!

When you spend thousands of dollars on a solar battery setup or portable power station, the last thing you want is for it to start losing storage capacity after a few months. Unfortunately, that’s exactly what happens when you follow outdated battery “rules” that just don’t apply anymore.

You’ve probably heard advice like “never let your battery drop below 50%” or “always drain batteries completely before recharging them.” Those rules used to be true, but only for older battery chemistries like lead-acid and nickel-cadmium. Modern lithium batteries, like those found in EcoFlow, Anker, Bluetti, and Jackery power stations, operate very differently.

To help you get the most out of your equipment and investment, we’re going to break down five essential rules for extending battery life. Don't worry, using LiFePO4 or Li-ion batteries properly isn't difficult, and we're going to give you a few quick tips and small changes you can make to your own habits to dramatically increase your lithium battery lifespan.

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A Quick Background on Battery Chemistries

Before we explain how you can keep your batteries healthy and their lifespans intact, it’s worth taking a moment for a quick review on how far batteries have come.

The earliest known battery, often called the Baghdad Battery, dates all the way back to 200 B.C., and the eggheads believe a clay pot lined with copper and iron may have been used to produce small electric charges.

Fast forward to the 1800s, when Alessandro Volta stacked discs of zinc and copper separated by brine-soaked cloth to create the first true battery, called the voltaic pile. This is actually where we get the term volt.

Throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, lead-acid batteries became the standard, powering cars, machines, and basic backup power systems. Then came nickel-cadmium and nickel-metal hydride batteries, which were mostly used for early rechargeable tools and emergency lights.

Why Don't Old Battery Rules Apply Anymore?

That brings us to a lot of the old rules that continue to be passed around for rechargeable batteries.  

You’ve probably heard advice like, “Let your battery fully die once before the first use, then charge it to 100%.”

Those guidelines came from the above-mentioned era of lead-acid, nickel-cadmium (NiCd), and nickel-metal hydride (NiMH) batteries. These older batteries suffer from the something called the “memory effect”. Basically, if you don't drain these types of batteries fully before fully re-charging them, they literally “forget” their full capacity. In other words, you can't charge them all the way back up to their maximum capacity, which means they don't last as long when you need them.

But today? The primary technologies powering phones, laptops, power stations, and solar battery systems are lithium-ion (Li-ion) and lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO₄ or LFP) cells. These battery chemistries behave (and degrade) differently than older batteries that have those dated chemistries.

Your average person doesn’t really put much thought into battery chemistries, which has meant that a lot of outdated rules are still being followed today. Not only does this mean people are wasting their time following old advice, that same advice can sometimes harm the batteries and reduce their lifespans.

Lithium-Ion vs. LiFePO₄: What’s the Difference?

Both battery types dominate the world of portable power stations and solar power systems, but they’re not identical. Here’s a quick breakdown of their differences:

Lithium-ion (Li-ion):

• High energy density and lighter weight, which makes them ideal for smartphones, laptops, power tools, and rechargeable flashlights.
• Typical cycle life until 80% capacity is usually around 500 cycles.
• They are prone to thermal stress at high temperatures and susceptible to reduced performance in cold conditions.

Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePO₄ or LFP):

• They have a lower energy density (slightly heavier for the same size), but they’re much safer, more thermally stable, and offer a far longer cycle life.
• Many LFP packs in solar and backup power systems promise thousands of cycles, usually between 2,500 and over 10,000 before they reach 80% capacity. This depends on environmental conditions and how they are used.
• For solar batteries, the built-in batteries found in power stations, and other types of off-grid storage, LiFePO₄ has become the go-to option due to durability and how long they last.

You’ll probably notice that most of the power stations you find from high-end brands, like EcoFlow and DJI, use LiFePO₄ batteries, rather than Lithium-ion batteries. This is because they’re safer, last longer, and can handle deeper discharges without major damage.

That doesn’t mean that you won’t see Li-ion battery cells inside power stations or used for other types of solar batteries. In fact, even Jackery is guilty of sometimes using the older style in their power stations, but the best power stations tend to be outfitted with LiFePO₄ cells.

5 Rules for Extending Battery Life

So, what are the real rules you should follow when it comes to extending lithium battery lifespan and getting the most out of your backup power system? Let's review them:

1. Don’t Overcharge Your Batteries:

Even though most devices have a built-in battery management system (BMS) to prevent overcharging, keeping a lithium battery at 100% for long periods still stresses the cells.

We recently tested this with a pair of iPhones over a period of several months. One was charged fully overnight every day, and the other charged in short bursts throughout the day up to about 80% to 90% battery capacity. After a month, the iPhone that was charged throughout the day when needed, rather than to 100% overnight had noticeably better battery health.

The takeaway? Avoid leaving your battery at 100% for extended periods. Whether it’s just your iPhone or something like an EcoFlow DELTA Pro 3, keeping it plugged in all the time is going to do damage to the battery in the long-term.

Some power station apps even let you set an 80% cap to protect the cells. If you’re able to do so, it’s definitely worth setting that up.

2. Avoid Fully Draining the Battery:

Lithium batteries hate being drained down to zero percent. Unlike the old NiCd and lead-acid batteries that benefited from full discharges, deep cycling reduce a LiFePO₄ battery lifespan.

Whenever possible, keep your battery in the 30 to 80% range. Don’t get us wrong, dropping below 20% occasionally won’t kill it, but making it a habit will.

If you’re storing your battery for a long stretch of time, we’d also recommend keeping it around 40 to 60% charged, as this is the sweet spot for long-term storage. Given how many people put their power stations into storage and only pull them out during emergencies and grid outages, it’s something that’s really worth keeping in mind.

3. Keep Them Cool:

Heat is one of the biggest enemies of any lithium battery. High temperatures accelerate the chemical breakdown with the battery cells, reducing capacity and efficiency. If you’ve ever noticed that your smartphone struggles on a hot day, or you get overheating warnings when you leave it in the sun, it’s the exact same issue that would impact a portable power station.

Avoid charging in direct sunlight or leaving your power station in a hot car. If you’re storing it for the season, choose a cool, dry spot. Never leave your power station or solar batteries beside a heating vent or fireplace.

While keeping your batteries cool is important, you don’t want to overdo it. A lot of these batteries have a BMS system that will shut them down when temperatures drop below safe levels. Again, this protects the battery from temperature-related damage.

Some modern LiFePO₄ systems even include self-heating functions to regulate internal temperature for cold-weather use. For example, the outdoor version of the EG4 PowerPro WallMount Battery has an internal heater that kicks in when temperatures drop below 32°F.

4. Charge Slowly When You Can:

Faster charging creates more stress on the battery cells. Just like how supercharging a Tesla too often reduces battery health, charging your portable power station at its maximum input every time will shorten its li-ion battery lifespan.

That’s why some manufacturers set their products to default to slower charging speeds from the factory. You can usually increase it manually, but if longevity is your priority, leave it slow.

Take the Anker F3800 Plus, which has an AC input that ranges from 1,800W up to 6,000W. That maximum capacity would come in handy, and we think it is a great feature, but it's probably not the best idea to keep it pinned at 6,000W all of the time.

Again, if fast-charging is the most practical route for the situation, like a storm is about to hit or you’re about to hit the road for a camping trip, you can charge at the full input. However, if you have time on your hands, we’d recommend keeping things slow.

5. Know When to Trade Lifespan for Reliability:

If you’re using your power station for backup power, it may spend most of its life sitting at 100% charge in UPS mode. This means your backup power system will be ready to kick in the moment your power goes out. That’s not ideal for long-term health, but it’s necessary for reliability.

Some newer models (like the Bluetti Apex 300 and the Jackery HomePower 3600 Plus) now let you cap the charge at 80% while still maintaining instant UPS readiness. If your unit offers this feature, turn it on.

Sure, you’d lose out on about 20% of your capacity if a blackout hit without any sort warning, but it would help balance reliability and longevity. If you have some warning, you could always disable this feature and top your battery to full capacity.

Putting It All Together: Practical Checklist

For Everyday Devices:

• Charge to about 80% when convenient.
• Avoid full discharges to 0%.
• Store at roughly 40 to 60% State of Charge (SoC) if you need the battery to idle for weeks.
• Only keep the battery in moderate temperatures, with an extra effort to avoid excessive heat.

For Power Stations, Solar Batteries, and other Backup Power Systems:

• Opt for LiFePO₄ chemistry when longevity is important.
• Maintain moderate SoC when possible (roughly 30 to 80%).
• Implement a storage mode if the unit will sit unused for a long period of time.
• Avoid high ambient temperatures (or include ventilation and thermal controls).
• Accept charging slower if it improves battery health and cycles.

Remember, none of these are rules to live and die by, but they can help you squeeze a few extra years out of your batteries. When you’re talking about expensive and complex battery systems, every little bit helps.

Our Final Thoughts on Battery Longevity

All batteries degrade over time, but following the five rules we highlighted above can significantly extend your lithium battery lifespan and save yourself hundreds (if not thousands) of dollars in replacements.

So, whether you’re running a basic solar power setup, charging power tools, or just trying to make your power station last a little longer, remember: don’t overcharge, don’t fully drain, keep it cool, charge it slow, and store it smart. It's that easy.

Shop for Lithium Solar Batteries:

Shop Solar: www.ShopSolar.com/solar-batteries

Signature Solar: www.SignatureSolar.com/batteries

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