Comments on: Nokia’s Energy Saving Alerts http://www.psfk.com/2007/05/nokias_energy_s.html Ideas & Trends Mon, 23 Nov 2009 05:50:05 -0800 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: John Voelcker http://www.psfk.com/2007/05/nokias_energy_s.html/comment-page-1#comment-106 John Voelcker Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-106 <p>Nice feature! I'm at an advanced batteries conference in Long Beach right now, and a consistent theme that emerges is the energy loss in lithium-ion batteries when they're fully charged but unused.<br /> <br /> This doesn't matter much for mobile phone users who get calls every day, but it does for laptops -- and likely electric-drive cars -- since battery life is way reduced if you continuously top it up.<br /> <br /> By comparison, HEVs like the Prius keep their batteries between 40% and 65% of charge for maximum life (and minimum warranty claims on very expensive NiMH battery packs).<br /> <br /> I've always wanted a little utility that overrides the power-control software on my laptop, so it'll cut out the charger at 80% charge for better battery life (unless I tell it I'm going on a plane trip that day). <br /> <br /> This Nokia announcement is encouraging, and I bet we see more like this. BUT ... will consumers actually DO it?</p> Nice feature! I’m at an advanced batteries conference in Long Beach right now, and a consistent theme that emerges is the energy loss in lithium-ion batteries when they’re fully charged but unused.

This doesn’t matter much for mobile phone users who get calls every day, but it does for laptops — and likely electric-drive cars — since battery life is way reduced if you continuously top it up.

By comparison, HEVs like the Prius keep their batteries between 40% and 65% of charge for maximum life (and minimum warranty claims on very expensive NiMH battery packs).

I’ve always wanted a little utility that overrides the power-control software on my laptop, so it’ll cut out the charger at 80% charge for better battery life (unless I tell it I’m going on a plane trip that day).

This Nokia announcement is encouraging, and I bet we see more like this. BUT … will consumers actually DO it?

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