Draining the MacBook Air 2013 battery

[pelican77]

I have a 13 inch Macbook Air Mid 2012.

I was wondering if I let my battery life discharge completely (0%) if that would damage the battery life.

I did it once by accident but I quickly charged it in the same day.

Just wondering if it has any negative impacts.

Thanks.

 

[Intell]

If left in a discharged state for a long period of time or repeatedly discharging it to such a low point, damage to the battery can result.

 

[s15119]

If left in a discharged state for a long period of time or repeatedly discharging it to such a low point, damage to the battery can result.

I'm not convinced this is true.


http://www.zdnet.com/article/how-to-get-the-most-from-li-ion-batteries/

 

[Intell]

What I stated is standard practice for all but experimental lithium batteries. Even Apple's documentation states not to do that.

 

[stiligFox]

I seem to remember that Apple used to recommend draining the battery completely once a month and then recharging, but they no longer recommend that.

https://www.apple.com/batteries/maximizing-performance/#macbook

I would follow their advice over any website - but I can safely say that you did no harm to your battery. When it goes to 0% and shuts down it actually shuts down with a teeny bit of power left to prevent damage to itself. As long as you charge it as soon as you can, you're not doing any lasting damage to it. Just try not to do it too often!

 

[motrek]

I have a 13 inch Macbook Air Mid 2012.

I was wondering if I let my battery life discharge completely (0%) if that would damage the battery life.

I did it once by accident but I quickly charged it in the same day.

Just wondering if it has any negative impacts.

Thanks.

Running it down to 0% isn't a problem as long as you don't leave it like that for too long.

The problem is that if you ever completely discharge a lithium-ion battery, it's ruined and you'll never be able to charge it again.

So, when your laptop says it's at 0%, there's really a margin of error, sort of like the gas indicator in your car telling you it's empty when you really have 2 gallons left.

But, if you run it down to 0% and then let it sit for a week or two, it might REALLY hit zero and never charge back up again.

 

[pelican77]

Thanks for the replies guys.

The fact that it shuts down when there's still some power left to prevent battery damage is really smart design!