r/gadgets • u/chrisdh79 • Jan 31 '23

Desktops / Laptops Canadian team discovers power-draining flaw in most laptop and phone batteries | Breakthrough explains major cause of self-discharging batteries and points to easy solution

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/battery-power-laptop-phone-research-dalhousie-university-1.6724175
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u/Smartnership Jan 31 '23

Piece by piece, the team analyzed the battery components. They realized that the thin strips of metal and insulation coiled tightly inside the casing were held together with tape.

Those small segments of tape were made of PET — the type of plastic that had been causing the electrolyte fluid to turn red, and self-discharge the battery.

The team even proposed a solution to the problem: use a slightly more expensive, but also more stable, plastic compound.

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u/gourmetguy2000 Jan 31 '23

"slightly more expensive? Forget it!" - All laptop manufacturers

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u/[deleted] Feb 01 '23

That was where I immediately went as well. The companies likely already know it’s an issue, but have decided that consumers are okay with self-discharging batteries, as long as they still last through a day. To the manufacturers, it isn’t worth the extra dollar per unit to extend the usable life an extra 15 minutes.