Many people complain that today’s batteries are of poor quality and break down after short use. In fact, the short life of so-called poor-quality batteries mainly comes down to the following five reasons:

Reason one: sulfation caused by the battery itself

When a lead-acid battery charges, lead sulfate forms lead oxide, and when it discharges, the lead oxide is reduced back to lead sulfate. Lead sulfate crystallizes very easily: when its concentration in the electrolyte is too high or the battery sits idle too long, small crystals form and attract surrounding lead sulfate, growing into large inert crystals like a rolling snowball. The crystallized lead sulfate then attaches to the electrode plates and reduces their working area, a phenomenon called sulfation. The main mechanism behind the failure and damage of lead-acid batteries is that sulfation is unavoidable within the battery itself.

Reason two: cadmium-free batteries lose some performance.

Cadmium is a toxic element, and China’s battery industry today has fully banned it. In other words, cadmium-containing lead-acid batteries conduct better, have lower internal resistance, a better discharge voltage, tolerate heat and cold, charge and discharge well, and last long. Because cadmium is poisonous and polluting, once it is removed the battery performs slightly worse than before, which leads many dealers to sigh that battery quality is not what it used to be! Someday a synthetic non-toxic metal should take over the role of cadmium and battery performance will be as good as ever; but long before that element is found, lead-acid batteries will probably have been phased out!

Reason three: improper use of the electric vehicle

Temperature too high or too low: the capacity and range of a lead-acid battery vary directly with the outdoor temperature. At about 25 degrees Celsius a new battery can run 45-50 km; as the temperature falls, every 1 degree Celsius cuts the mileage by 0.8%-1%. Charging regularly at high temperatures also degrades performance and shortens battery life.

Charger problems: a battery that does not fill up is sometimes caused by a faulty charger. When the charger’s converter is damaged, its fuse is blown, or the power cord at the battery socket is detached or in poor contact, the battery cannot take a charge even though it is perfectly fine.

Reason four: removing the speed limiter

Most controllers keep a speed-limit plug. Some makers or dealers simply delete the limiter, which both attracts customers who care about speed and cuts cost. Running such a vehicle at high speed draws very large current, seriously shortening battery life.

Reason five: long-term use of fast-charging equipment

A normal battery lasts one to two years, but for a battery frequently charged at fast-charging stations, lasting over a year would be an absolute miracle. Fast-charging stations accelerate battery aging; this is an undeniable fact. Dealers fear this situation most: damage caused by fast charging ends up being charged to them as a warranty claim. Fast charging warps and deforms the plates and raises the acid concentration, thereby accelerating aging and shortening life.