Does a portable outdoor power supply have a life span? Tips for long-t

When choosing a portable outdoor power supply, one of the things to worry about is the "life span". So, this time we will introduce the life span of outdoor power supply and also explain the mechanism of portable power supply, such as why it has a life span.

If you are considering buying an outdoor power supply, you can use this as a reference when choosing a product. In addition, for those who already have an outdoor power supply, we will introduce tips on how to use it for a long time and how to store it.

Does outdoor power supply have a life span?

Battery performance is a decisive factor in the life of an outdoor power supply. First, let's learn about the lithium-ion batteries used in outdoor power supplies.

Features of "lithium-ion batteries" used in outdoor power supplies

Outdoor power has a built-in battery to store power. Lithium-ion batteries are the dominant battery material.

Lithium-ion batteries are batteries that use lithium-containing metal oxides for the positive electrode and carbon materials such as graphite for the negative electrode, filled with an organic electrolyte.

Lithium-ion batteries are common batteries and are also used in smartphones, mobile batteries, and laptops. It is lightweight and compact because of its relatively low manufacturing cost, durability, and high energy density compared to other batteries. In addition, despite its compact size, it has a large storage capacity, so once charged, it can be used for a long time, and it is a durable battery for repeated charging and discharging.

One of the characteristics of lithium-ion batteries is their long service life, but they also age with use. Tips on how to use and storage batteries to prevent them from aging and prolonged use will be covered later in this article.

Types of lithium-ion batteries

Lithium-ion batteries are the most commonly used battery material for outdoor power supplies and can be strictly classified into the following three types.

Lithium-ion batteries
Lithium polymer batteries
Lithium iron phosphate batteries

Lithium polymer batteries and lithium iron phosphate batteries are also a type of lithium-ion batteries. However, some materials and processing are different from those used in lithium-ion batteries in order to improve specifications and safety.

For example, lithium polymer batteries use non-flammable, highly stable gel-like polymer polymers as the electrolyte and are processed by wrapping them with a protective agent, and the filled electrolyte is less likely to leak and has a high yield.

Lithium iron phosphate battery is a battery with phosphoric acid as the positive electrode. Compared with lithium metal oxide-containing batteries used in general lithium-ion batteries, they are less prone to thermal runaway and therefore have excellent stability and safety.

Outdoor power supply life (number of cycles) of 1000 to 3000

The typical lifetime of a portable outdoor power supply is approximately 1000 to 3000 cycles.

The number of cycles is the unit used to indicate the life span of an outdoor power supply, with charge + discharge counting as one cycle. That is, if an outdoor power supply has a life span of 800 cycles, then the life span from 0% charged to 100% charged to 0% used up is approximately 800 cycles.

The life of a portable power supply is expressed by the number of cycles because the standard life of the same model varies depending on the conditions of use and the environment.

What to do when the outdoor power supply is broken?

Due to the aging of the built-in lithium-ion battery, the portable outdoor power supply has a limited life span, but this does not mean that it is completely unusable once it reaches its life span.

However, when the number of cycles of the life indicator is reached, changes such as a reduction in storable capacity and longer charging times occur.

As a result, when it reaches its useful life, its performance decreases and in many cases becomes difficult to use.

You can also use power packs and solar panels

Many people want to be able to efficiently use outdoor power sources that have reached the end of their useful life and have reduced storage capacity.

If you feel that your outdoor power supply is running low on power, one option is to use a power add-on pack or solar panels to get the power you need. Both of these methods require your outdoor power supply to support a plus power pack and solar panels.

A plus pack is a battery that can be connected to your outdoor power supply to increase its capacity. Not only is it convenient when the storage capacity of the mobile power is reduced, but it is also convenient in situations where more power is needed, such as long outings on self-drive trips.

In addition, outdoor mobile power that can be charged by solar panels is especially useful in outdoor scenarios. When using a portable power supply, the reduction in storage capacity can be charged by natural energy

The hazards of lithium-ion batteries and how to choose a safe portable outdoor power

Lithium-ion batteries built into portable power supplies can explode if overcharged, overheated, over-discharged, machine malfunctioned, or mishandled problems occur.

Therefore, when choosing an outdoor power supply, it is important to focus on whether it can be used safely. Specifically, choose a product with multiple protection features.

One of these is a BMS (Battery Management System), a system designed to safely monitor and adjust battery cells to protect them from overvoltage, overcurrent, overheating, etc.

Other protection features include overvoltage protection, overload protection, overheat protection, short circuit protection, low-temperature protection, and overcurrent protection.

Notes on the use of portable power for long periods of time

While outdoor power supplies have a limited lifespan, it actually depends on the conditions and environment in which it is used, so it can be extended by designing how it is used and stored.

Here are five tips for using outdoor power for extended periods of time.

Do not place in hot, humid or low-temperature areas

The first tip is to avoid using and storing them in hot and humid places and in places where the temperature is too low. The lithium-ion batteries used in outdoor power supplies are susceptible to heat and cold.

In particular, the electrodes of lithium-ion batteries will deteriorate faster when exposed to heat, so please avoid using and storing them in direct sunlight or leaving them in the car in the middle of summer. Moisture can also cause problems due to corrosion. Care must be taken when using and storing the product in dewy windows or in damp storage rooms. In addition, the internal resistance and overvoltage of lithium-ion batteries can increase in places where the temperature is too low, resulting in reduced performance and shorter battery life.

If you are going to use the outdoor power supply for a long time, please avoid hot and humid cold environments and use it in a cool and ventilated environment

Do not use it while charging

Side charging means charging the outdoor power supply and simultaneously outputting electricity from the outdoor power supply to run the appliance.

The lithium-ion battery built into the outdoor power supply can be charged and discharged at the same time. However, charging and discharging at the same time can burden the lithium-ion battery and cause it to age more quickly. If you use it while charging, the power supply tends to heat up.

Bring the battery level to 60-80% before storage

For extended use of the outdoor power supply, the remaining battery power during storage is also important. Avoid storing the battery fully charged or at 0%, as this can degrade the performance of the power supply and accelerate the aging of the lithium-ion battery. In particular, if the battery is left at 0% for an extended period of time, it may not be recharged.

Typically, the preferred battery level to prevent lithium-ion battery aging is about 40%, but storing at 40% remaining charge may cause the battery to become 0% during storage and unusable in an emergency, as power is also naturally released during storage.

When storing an outdoor power supply, the natural release of power for six months is approximately 20%. Therefore, for long-term storage, it is recommended to keep the battery charge at 60-80%.

Also, when the battery power reaches 40% to 60% after six months, check if the battery power is appropriate and check that the operation is safe.

The above is just a recommendation for a general outdoor power supply. For our products, when the remaining battery power is about 30% to 60%, it can be stored in the best condition for a long time. We also recommend checking the operation every three months in order to use it in case of emergency.

Store in a cool, well-ventilated place

As mentioned above, it is also important to store in a cool, well-ventilated place, avoiding hot, humid places and places with low temperatures. The optimal temperature for storing outdoor power supplies is around 25°C. However, care should be taken when storing in dusty areas, as it can erode the product.

Either the living room, front or back or hallway, as long as it is a suitable storage location. However, the temperature and humidity may change depending on the season, so please change the storage location as needed. Especially in winter in cold areas, one way is to store them in packaging materials and avoid storing them directly in cold temperatures. In addition, if you are using the outdoor power supply of the Shoho Ecoflow, we recommend that you press and hold the main power button on the front to turn off the entire power supply while storing.

Does charging have anything to do with extending the life of outdoor power supplies?

Some people may wonder if it's a good idea to use outdoor power charging for long periods of time.

In reality, charging does not shorten battery life. It is recommended that you charge it when you can and when you need to, and use it comfortably without being distracted by how you charge it.