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An interesting article from HP on the introduction of HP Long Life Batteries for Notebooks.
A highlight of the 2010 HP Business Notebook Family is the introduction of HP Long Life Batteries.
Since you depend on your notebook to provide mobility, its batteries must last longer and deliver dependable performance. With current Lithium Ion Battery technology, a battery will, over time, lose its ability to hold a charge, it will, in effect, age. Battery ageing, shown in the graph below, is irreversible and cannot be restored. Since less and less active material is available within the battery to electrochemically store a charge, the battery is able to deliver progressively less battery capacity and hence less time on battery. The life span of typical Lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries is 300 – 500 cycles. With moderate use, these batteries can be expected to deliver approximately 80% of their original capacity after 300 cycles, which is approximately one year of service. For this reason, notebook vendors have historically only been able to offer a 1 year warranty on batteries and this has been a constant source of frustration for customers.
With the HP Long Life Battery, HP has developed a unique charging algorithm that extends its life span, so that after more than 1000 charging cycles, users will still get about 80% of their original capacity. This equates to about 3 years of typical use.
 HP Long Life Battery graph Consequently HP is able to now offer an industry first 3 year warranty on Long Life Batteries. There are 3 major customer benefits for customers using HP Long Life Batteries;
• Reduced Cost of Ownership – customers do not have to budget to replace batteries during the life cycle of their notebook. A typical battery replacement cost is about NZ$150, so this is a substantial saving to the customer. There are often hidden costs in the procurement process also.
• Improved Customer Experience – the slow degradation of a batteries charging capacity impacts the customer experience. Customers will often put up with a battery that doesn’t hold charge. The cost to replace the battery or the process required may deter them from replacing the battery. Consequently they will need to carry an AC Adapter with them most of the time and the mobile benefits of a notebook are severely compromised. With HP Long Life Batteries, the customer can look forward to a useful battery life of 3 years or more. If the battery should fail within the 3 year warranty then a replacement battery will be provided by HP at no cost to the customer under warranty.
• Reduced Environmental Impact – the reduced need to replace batteries means we reduce our impact on the environment. Batteries are an environmental challenge and the fewer we consume the better.
As you will note from the graph, there is one small downside to the HP Long Life Battery. The battery capacity at the beginning of the lifecycle is reduced by 5-7% meaning the battery charge will be slightly reduced. However, this is more than offset by the long term benefits of the battery.
Q&A
• Are HP Long Life Batteries Standard across the new range?
No – the Long Life Batteries are only offered on models which have an inherent 3 year warranty – currently the HP EliteBook range. In NZ we have configured Long Life Batteries in all our standard EliteBook models. Models from overseas (e.g. Global Models) may not include the Long Life battery technology. If you are configuring using Piper be careful to select the long life batteries if offered. There are a couple of batteries which do not have Long Life options – e.g. the 9 Cell Battery for the HP EliteBook 2540p.
• Can I configure Long Life Batteries in Piper for HP ProBook models?
HP Long Life Batteries are available only on Notebooks with a 3 Year Warranty. Currently in Piper, even when you configure a 3 Year Warranty for HP ProBooks, the Long Life Battery is not available. When we introduce the HP ProBook 6550b in June, you will be able to configure the Long Life Battery with a 3 Year Warranty.
• Do HP Long Life Batteries cost more than standard batteries?
Yes. The HP Long Life Batteries cost about NZ$70 more than standard equivalent batteries. This is more than compensated for by the benefits of the batteries. We expect this cost difference to reduce over time.
• Are HP Long Life Batteries available as Accessories?
Yes. The Long Life Batteries will be available for purchase as an accessory.
Acknowledgment – The above article is from HP.com
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