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Just heard that if Li-ion battery is kept at 40~60% charged, its lifetime will be longer. Is this correct? If so, are there some applications, respectively for Windows XP, Windows 7 and Ubuntu, that can control charging and discharging of the battery so it is always within some range like 40~60%?

Thanks and regards!

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40%~60% condition is recommended when you're not going to use your battery for a long time. If you bring your battery to a charge level of around 40%~60% and store it in a cold place, this will extend its life. I suggest storing it in refrigerator. It’s a good place but don't set the temperature too low, and remember not to fully discharge it to avoid electrolytic spillage. Here are some laptop battery tips that may be useful.

The biggest factor in battery life, especially for laptops, is the temperature at which the battery is kept. Another important thing is, storage or using at 100% charge is harmful. I think you should read this crucial article about "Lithium-ion battery preservation" for further info.

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Good points. I think your first link might have some older, outdated information. It refers to the "memory effect" and then says that Li-ion batteries are the exception. True, but that suggests that the article was written before Li-ion batteries were the norm in laptops and cell phones. Some good tips, but please ensure that it applies to your hardware before following! – outsideblasts Nov 18 '09 at 8:53
The second paragraph is the most important part of my answer which applies to present-day's systems. The first link is older; true, but I thought it's got useful information and included it in my answer. – Mehper C. Palavuzlar Nov 18 '09 at 13:29
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I think that the 40-60% is for storage when not in use. Otherwise Li-ion batteries' lifetime are limited by the number of full discharge/recharge cycles (if I remember correctly.)

Battery university is a great resource and tutorial for battery issues.

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Unlike other kinds of batteries, there is no ‘memory effect’ with Li-ion systems. Li-ion batteries fail over time regardless of anything else. According to Wikipedia: “At a 100% charge level, a typical Li-ion laptop battery that is full most of the time at 25 degrees Celsius, will irreversibly lose approximately 20% capacity per year." – Mehper C. Palavuzlar Nov 18 '09 at 8:30
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