Available a few days agonetizenSharing on Threads, the ASUS power bank in his hand has been used for more than 10 years, and it has not swelled at all. Except for charging very slowly, everything is normal. He couldn’t help but sigh: “The materials used in the previous power banks were very solid.”
In the past, power banks were more durable and safe? What is the reasonable service life of power banks now?
Image source: Free Times and Threads
Why is it that the previous power bank was still in good condition after ten years of use, but the newly purchased power bank became unusable or even malfunctioned after 2 to 3 years? A summary video and detailed description of the development history of power banks and the reasons for their durability and safety in the past are as follows:
The development history of mobile power supply.
The development of power bank mainly stems from the launch of the first-generation iPhone in 2007, which led to the design of non-removable batteries for smart phones. In order to solve the problem of mobile phone battery life, the market began to launch power banks using lithium batteries. The development of mobile power sources can be roughly divided into four stages, including the 18650 cylindrical lithium battery era (2010~2020), the lithium polymer battery era (2015~2025), the PD fast charging and magnetic multi-function era (2020~), and the solid-state battery era (2025~). The first three stages all used liquid lithium batteries. Among them, the earliest 18650 lithium battery was not only mature in technology, low cost and safe, but due to its thicker size, lithium polymer batteries were gradually used.
In response to the requirements of modern mainstream devices to have PD fast charging and magnetic suction functions, mobile power supplies have developed in recent years towards multi-functional designs and have increased output and input power, resulting in an increased risk of battery overheating or short circuit. In 2024, a large-scale spontaneous combustion and recall of lithium battery cells produced by Chinese lithium battery manufacturer Amprise caused concern about the safety of traditional liquid lithium batteries. Countries have implemented stricter battery safety regulations and flight regulations. With breakthroughs in solid-state battery and semi-solid-state battery technology, solid-state battery power banks will begin to appear on the market starting in 2025, with higher safety and longer service life. Most of them will begin to incorporate wireless charging or magnetic suction functions, and can support up to 25W wireless charging. .
1. Why were mobile power supplies more durable and safer in the past?
In the early days, most mobile power banks preferred Japanese Panasonic 18650 power lithium battery cells. The Asus ZenPower 10050 power bank shared by netizens on Threads was advertised as using Japanese Panasonic 18650 power lithium battery cells. Later, based on cost considerations, it gradually switched to Korean LG (LGGBF1L1865) lithium battery cells. Asus power banks have achieved very good sales results in Taiwan in the past. However, due to the fierce competition in the power bank market and the fact that traditional liquid lithium batteries are as safe as time bombs, Asus has completely withdrawn from the power bank market!
Currently, the lithium battery recognized to have the longest service life on the market is none other than Japan’s Panasonic power lithium battery. According to Taiwan’s agent for the US Zopec Machine medical grade mobile power supply and UPS uninterruptible battery systemHongxiang Smart TechnologySaid: “Panasonic power-grade lithium batteries used in Tesla car batteries have a very low capacity attenuation rate, and the actual service life of medical-grade battery products can be up to 5 to 8 years, which is much higher than other brands of lithium-ion batteries.” However, due to cost considerations, most mobile power supplies in the market use land-based or Korean (LG) lithium batteries. After a service life of more than 2 years, aging is usually obvious, and the service life is easily shortened due to easy power outages.
In other words, since the Asus ZenPower 10050 mobile power bank used Japanese Panasonic power lithium battery cells in the early days, the battery itself is safe, reliable and has a long life. Therefore, netizens have used it for more than 10 years without swelling at all. The charging speed is slow because of the old specifications. It is not surprising that it is durable and safe!
Since there are currently very few power banks using Japanese 18650 batteries in the market, if people want to pursue high-performance and safe mobile batteries, they can give priority to the recently popular solid-state (semi-solid) battery power banks.
2. What is the reasonable service life of current mobile power supplies?
Due to price competition, most of the power banks on the market use cheaper terrestrial battery cells. according toTaiwan Environmental Protection Agencyexpress,The average service life of a mobile power supply under normal circumstances is approximately2New Year’s Eve4Year. If the power bank is frequently charged to 100% or discharged to 0% or the temperature is too low/high or too humid, the aging of the battery will be accelerated and the battery life of the power bank will be affected.
Especially if it is not used for a long time, it is easy to produce gas due to the decomposition of the electrolyte or poor storage environment, resulting in a significant drop in battery performance or dangerous battery expansion.If it has been purchased more than 4 years ago orThe battery swells, the casing is cracked or deformed、Abnormal charging, overheating and hot to the touch, The power display is abnormal (such as rapid and crazy countdown) or the battery capacity declines significantly (power outage without warning), it is recommended that the mobile power supply should be scrapped and recycled environmentally as soon as possible.
As “threads netizens” call: “As long as the battery has a service life, you must take the initiative to get rid of the old and recycle the mobile power supply that has been out of warranty for too long or is not used. Don’t leave it at home, protect yourself and your family!”
Source: KOCPC Chinese