HP Notebook PCs - Lithium-Ion Batteries

This document is for select consumer and business notebook computers.

Over the years, HP has utilized a wide variety of battery technologies to power its portfolio of consumer and commercial notebook computers. Today, lithium-ion polymer batteries are the battery of choice for HP to provide our customers the best experience.

Lithium-ion polymer batteries have a high energy density, meaning they can provide a lot of power in a small package, enabling thinner and lighter notebooks and tablets. The soft outer casing means that lithium-ion polymer batteries are lighter in weight and can conform to different shapes and sizes.

As with all batteries, lithium-ion polymer batteries are consumable and will chemically degrade over time, eventually needing to be replaced. As lithium-ion batteries age, a small amount of gas is generated within the battery cell, leading to swelling. Battery swelling is inherent in lithium-ion battery technology and, in most cases, is very minimal over the life of the battery. While a measured amount of battery degradation and swelling over time is normal, there are specific factors that can accelerate this process. This acceleration can result in the battery swelling to the point that it impacts or deforms the notebook chassis and the battery needing to be replaced.

There are multiple factors that can accelerate the chemical aging of lithium-ion batteries which can result in accelerated battery swelling over time. Two primary factors that can accelerate this process include:

• Leaving the notebook plugged into AC power (high state-of-charge): One of the primary factors that can accelerate notebook battery degradation is keeping the notebook plugged into AC power over a long period of time. This creates a condition where the notebook battery is consistently in a high state-of-charge, which causes additional stress on the battery. A battery is considered to be in a high state-of-charge when the charge capacity is between 90% - 100% and the notebook is plugged into AC power.
• Long-term exposure to elevated temperatures: Exposure to elevated temperatures is detrimental for any battery, including lithium-ion polymer batteries. Long-term exposure to elevated temperatures creates additional stress on lithium-ion polymer batteries and can accelerate the chemical aging process. It is important to keep your notebook cool by ensuring that the vents are kept clear and that the notebook is operating on a hard, flat surface.

To learn more about battery swelling in lithium-ion batteries, please go to HP Commercial and Consumer Notebook PCs - Swelling or Deformation of Notebook Battery.

note:

To protect your hardware from potential damage, HP recommends that customers experiencing battery swelling discontinue use of the notebook until the battery can be replaced.

There are multiple factors that can accelerate battery swelling. To help mitigate battery swelling over time, HP has implemented Adaptive Battery Optimizer on select consumer and gaming notebooks and HP Battery Health Manager on select commercial notebooks.

Learn how to get the most from your HP notebook battery by following these industry-wide recommended best practices. For more information, go to HP Notebook PCs - Improving Battery Performance (Windows).

The notebook battery is designed to calibrate on its own over time with normal usage of the notebook and will provide a more accurate reading as the system completes multiple charge and discharge cycles. To learn more about how to test and manually calibrate your notebook battery, go to HP Notebook PCs - Testing and Calibrating the Battery (Windows).