Overview

• Recent Stanford and European lab studies confirm that varying speeds, including city stop-and-go, highway bursts and moderate regenerative braking, can prolong lithium-ion battery lifespan by as much as 38 percent.
• Continuous highway cruising under cruise control accelerates cell aging by repeatedly stressing the same regions.
• Keeping charge levels between 20 percent and 80 percent optimizes thermal stability and reduces mechanical strain on cells.
• Short regenerative braking cycles and occasional strong acceleration pulses help stabilize the anode’s protective SEI layer and maintain chemical balance.
• Industry experts are calling on automakers and battery-management developers to update software features and revise warranty terms to promote variable load profiles.