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Lithium Battery Aging Test: Everything You Need to Know
2026-07-10
With the continuous growth in demand for lithium-ion batteries across energy storage, medical devices, and portable electronics, aging testing has become the core validation procedure for verifying long-term reliability and predicting service life. By establishing a standardized aging test system equipped with high-precision temperature-controlled aging chambers and data logging systems, manufacturers can improve cell-to-cell consistency and optimize pack-level cycle life.
1. What is Lithium Battery Aging Testing?
Lithium-ion battery aging testing is a comprehensive validation method in which fully assembled Battery Packs are placed in temperature-controlled aging chambers and subjected to repeated charge/discharge cycles under elevated temperatures to simulate long-term operational conditions. It systematically verifies capacity fade, internal resistance growth, BMS stability, and thermal management performance. Aging testing is a mandatory reliability requirement under IEC 62133 and GB/T 31485 standards.
2. Why Is Aging Testing Critical?
Evaluating Cycle Life and Performance Degradation
By simulating the cyclic charging and discharging process of batteries under different operating conditions, aging testing can infer the service life of batteries and detect the trend of capacity decay and internal resistance increase in advance.
By simulating the cyclic charging and discharging process of batteries under different operating conditions, aging testing can infer the service life of batteries and detect the trend of capacity decay and internal resistance increase in advance.
Capacity decay is the main indicator of battery life decline, and aging testing evaluates the change in battery capacity after each cycle through periodic charge and discharge cycles.
Proactive Safety Risk Mitigation
Aging testing can detect safety hazards of batteries under abnormal conditions such as overcharging, overdischarging, and high temperature in advance. By simulating extreme conditions such as high-temperature aging tests, potential risks such as battery material degradation, and internal short circuits can be effectively identified.
Aging testing can detect safety hazards of batteries under abnormal conditions such as overcharging, overdischarging, and high temperature in advance. By simulating extreme conditions such as high-temperature aging tests, potential risks such as battery material degradation, and internal short circuits can be effectively identified.
Ensuring Cell Consistency
On the battery production line, the batteries that have undergone the formation process need to be aged and left to stand for a certain period of time to screen out batteries with abnormal voltage caused by internal micro short circuits or poor formation. By monitoring the voltage drop and internal resistance changes before and after aging, early failure products can be effectively eliminated to ensure the consistency of the factory battery.
On the battery production line, the batteries that have undergone the formation process need to be aged and left to stand for a certain period of time to screen out batteries with abnormal voltage caused by internal micro short circuits or poor formation. By monitoring the voltage drop and internal resistance changes before and after aging, early failure products can be effectively eliminated to ensure the consistency of the factory battery.
Regulatory Compliance and Market Access
Multiple domestic and international standards have put forward clear requirements for Lithium Battery aging testing, including UL, CE, UN 38.3, etc. Passing the aging test is a necessary condition for enterprises to obtain product certification and market access.
Multiple domestic and international standards have put forward clear requirements for Lithium Battery aging testing, including UL, CE, UN 38.3, etc. Passing the aging test is a necessary condition for enterprises to obtain product certification and market access.
3. How Is Aging Testing Performed?
(1) Sample Preparation and Initial Inspection
Select representative samples and record initial voltage, internal resistance, capacity, and BMS parameters. Ensure that the samples have completed semi-finished product testing and eliminate obvious interference from non-conforming products.
Select representative samples and record initial voltage, internal resistance, capacity, and BMS parameters. Ensure that the samples have completed semi-finished product testing and eliminate obvious interference from non-conforming products.
(2) Define Aging Conditions
Place the battery pack in a constant temperature aging cabinet, typically set at a high temperature of 45 °C-60 °C (with an accelerated aging coefficient of about 2-3 times), and conduct cyclic testing with standard charging and discharging equipment.
Place the battery pack in a constant temperature aging cabinet, typically set at a high temperature of 45 °C-60 °C (with an accelerated aging coefficient of about 2-3 times), and conduct cyclic testing with standard charging and discharging equipment.
(3) Execute Charge/Discharge Cycles
Perform 3-5 complete charge and discharge cycles to simulate actual operating conditions. Monitor and record the voltage, current, temperature, and capacity data for each cycle, and plot the attenuation curve.
Perform 3-5 complete charge and discharge cycles to simulate actual operating conditions. Monitor and record the voltage, current, temperature, and capacity data for each cycle, and plot the attenuation curve.
(4) Anomaly Monitoring and Judgment
Real time monitoring for voltage drops, abnormal temperature increases, excessive capacity decay, or BMS communication interruptions. Any indicator that deviates from the threshold should be immediately marked and isolated for analysis.
Real time monitoring for voltage drops, abnormal temperature increases, excessive capacity decay, or BMS communication interruptions. Any indicator that deviates from the threshold should be immediately marked and isolated for analysis.
(5) Post-Aging Re-Test and Comparison
After aging completion, return to ambient temperature and re-test voltage, internal resistance, capacity, and BMS functionality. Compare pre- and post-aging data to verify whether capacity retention is ≥90% and internal resistance increase is ≤20%.
After aging completion, return to ambient temperature and re-test voltage, internal resistance, capacity, and BMS functionality. Compare pre- and post-aging data to verify whether capacity retention is ≥90% and internal resistance increase is ≤20%.
(6) Data Archiving and Traceability
Qualified products proceed to the next process; non-conforming products are documented in detail and returned for rework.
Qualified products proceed to the next process; non-conforming products are documented in detail and returned for rework.
4. Conclusion
The aging test of lithium batteries is a core means of evaluating the degradation law of battery performance, ensuring safe use, and ensuring product consistency. From material screening in the research and development stage to quality control in mass production, aging testing runs through the entire life cycle of batteries, providing scientific basis for battery design optimization, life prediction, and quality management.
We provide a comprehensive solution for lithium battery aging testing, equipped with high-precision constant temperature aging cabinets and automated charging and discharging testing systems, covering high-temperature cycling aging, BMS long-term stability verification, and full data traceability management, helping enterprises build a full process quality assurance system from battery cells to packs.