Electrive writes that no modification was required for the cell chemistry itself, which is promising for the emerging technologies that aim to physically improve on what li-ion batteries can offer today. Longer-lasting batteries can have multiple advantages, especially in high-cycle environments, such as mobile phones, EVs or energy storage solutions.

William Chueh from Stanford University in California optimized the production process of traditional lithium-ion batteries with the help of AI to extend their lifespan by up to 50%. Best of all, this technology can be adopted as of right now by battery makers, as no structural change is required to achieve this result.

“We just changed that last step in manufacturing to form the battery a little differently”, Chueh explained. The change is very simple, he says. Normally, lithium-ion batteries are being charged to around 50% before being delivered, but the charging takes place at a very slow pace, over the course of a few hours.

Now, charging your phone's battery slowly is not a bad habit in itself, but giving it too little current can cause trouble for long-term durability. This is because of a process called "ion deactivation", which favors a more efficient charge and discharge of the battery, increasing its durability.

This occurs during the very first charge of the battery, which if carried slowly will deactivate fewer ions than if fast charging is to be used. Fewer deactivated ions mean a less efficient battery.

If fast charging is employed for the first juice-up of any battery, then the lifespan can increase by 50%, according to scientists. So, for an EV, this means that the lifecycle will increase to over 2.000 charging cycles, compared to 1.500.