Stiftung Warentest develops new test method for rechargeable batteries

Today, more and more products are powered by rechargeable batteries. On the one hand, this development enables us to use our products wherever we are. On the other hand, rechargeable batteries have a limited lifetime due to ageing, whether they are used or not.

Within the scope of the PROMPT project, Stiftung Warentest developed a new test methodology to examine batteries for calendar and cyclical ageing. The new methodology was applied to the assessment of eight batteries of power tools. Power tool batteries are of particular interest due to the different stresses they experience during use. The cyclical testing was performed in a real-use scenario with the corresponding chargers and tools.

One of the main results was that not all batteries reached the required minimum number of 400 cycles. Furthermore, it became clear that a realistic test scenario is crucial in order to check the lifetime of batteries. The batteries are well adapted to the tools and chargers such that a deviation from the real application scenario would lead to false ageing results. The complete article on battery testing can be found HERE (article in German).