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What is the difference between maximum runtime (hours) or maximum lifespan (years) in battery settings? - ThinkPad and Lenovo V, B, K, E series notebooks

Steps and instructions to increase battery life? - ThinkPad and Lenovo V, B, K, E series notebooks

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Steps and instructions to increase battery life? - ThinkPad and Lenovo V, B, K, E series notebooks

Symptom

This topic explains the difference between Maximum runtime (hours) and Maximum Lifespan.

Applicable Brands

  • ThinkPad
  • ideapad

Solution

A ThinkPad battery can be set for maximum runtime (hours), or for maximum lifespan (years).

Optimizing for runtime (hours)

The normal default Lenovo Power Manager Battery Maintenance setting keeps the battery fully charged. The setting starts charging when the battery drops below 96%, and stops at 100%. The battery runtime depends on the Power Plan settings.

There are several predefined Power Plans that can be set, or you can create your own. For the best runtimes, start with the Maximum Battery Life Power Plan.

Optimizing for lifespan (years)

Battery longevity is affected by age, the number of charge cycles, amount of time at full charge, and high temperature.

For maximum lifespan when rarely using the battery, set Custom charge thresholds to start charging at 40% capacity and stop at 50%, and keep the ThinkPad cool. The thresholds can be adjusted in the Battery Maintenance settings of Lenovo Power Manager.

If the battery is used somewhat frequently, set the start threshold at around 85% and stop at 90%. This will still give a good lifespan benefit over keeping the battery charged to 100%.

The simplest way to optimize battery lifespan is to select Automatic in the Power Manager Battery Maintenance settings, and let the power manager manage the battery charge thresholds.


Document ID:HT078208
Original Publish Date:06/27/2013
Last Modified Date:05/06/2024