Is it less stressful for batteries to charge them slower?

[dex_]

I was thinking about getting the DJI charging hub. The "advanced" version charges a bit faster than the "standard", though it's more expensive.

Faster charging is nice. I'm wondering if it's more stressful for the batteries, though? That is: would batteries charged more slowly with the standard hub have better longevity? Or is there zero (or negligible) effect?

 

[fnf]

You can charge a Lithium-based battery safely with no long-term effects as long as the charge rate is ~1C or lower. Charging a battery at 1C from empty would take 1 hour.

I don't know how long the advanced charging hub takes to charge from empty but if it's providing as much power as it could then it would complete in about 40 minutes (with a 100W charger, the default charger is 50W), which is 1.5C. I personally wouldn't mind charging the battery at this rate but I would certainly prefer to charge it at a lower rate (0.5-1C) if I have the time.

Battery University has done some research on the effect of fast charging. Some of the info might have become outdated but the general trend is true: charging over 1C does reduce longevity but does not save a lot of time. Fast and Ultra-fast Chargers - Battery University

I see this as a matter of preferences as if the battery is well-cared for (e.g., not storing at an elevated voltage for extended periods) then the difference between charging at 1C vs 1.5C might be 1000 vs 900 cycles.

Each charge cycle lasts you about 25 minutes of flight time so it's 416 hours vs 375 hours per battery. That is a life time of flying a single drone as far as I'm concerned .

That said, the OCD in me keeps wanting to baby the batteries as much as possible.

 

[DodgeP]

The real question is, if you have 3 batteries are you really going to fly all 3 batteries before you get a chance to recharge them or get fatigued? How about a fourth battery? 3 Batts = about an hr, 4 batts about 80 minutes.

I think the misconception is that the advanced charging hub will charge the batteries quicker but I think you also have to buy a more powerful adapter as well.

 

[dex_]

The real question is, if you have 3 batteries are you really going to fly all 3 batteries before you get a chance to recharge them or get fatigued? How about a fourth battery? 3 Batts = about an hr, 4 batts about 80 minutes.

Yeah, fair point. This is also why I'm not that interested in the YX multicharger thing.

I think the misconception is that the advanced charging hub will charge the batteries quicker but I think you also have to buy a more powerful adapter as well.

My understanding is that the 100W Phantom charger provides the very fastest charging, but that even with the 50W Mavic charger, the advanced hub is faster. It may just be due to its semi-parallel charging capability. From the DJI Mavic FAQ:

There are two main differences between the two Charging Hubs. First, the standard Charging Hub only supports the Mavic’s 50W Battery Charger and Mavic Car Charger, while the advanced version also supports the 100W Battery Charger and Car Charger from the Phantom 4. Second, the advanced version will balance the voltage of each battery cell to improve charging efficiency. When one battery’s charging enters the second-half of its charging phase, the next battery will enter the first-half of its charging phase. With 4 batteries all at 15%, the advanced charger can get 4 batteries fully charged in 140 minutes using the Phantom 4’s 100W charger, while the standard version will need 270 minutes with the Mavic’s 50W charger.

 

[Flawless]

It basically overlaps the start and end of each charge cycle for greater efficiency.

Of course, you could always get one of the Anbee type simultaneous chargers for about a third of the price and charge four batteries in about an hour.