The battery discharging behavior changes with various parameters, such as battery chemical type, load current, temperature, and aging. The figure below shows the general behavior of battery discharging curves of several battery chemical types. The battery discharging curve of most batteries is almost flat until it reaches about 80% of its full range, and then falls off sharply after that. Intelligent battery chargers, or delta V chargers look for this drop off.
Since the battery’s internal chemical reaction is largely governed by voltage and temperature, the battery discharging behavior is greatly affected by the temperature. The low temperature limit is determined by the freezing temperature of the electrolyte. Most batteries do not work well below -40°C. The battery performs better at higher temperatures because the chemical reaction processing is accelerated. However, the rate of undesirable chemical reactions increases and results in a decrease of battery life. At extremely high temperatures, the active chemicals become unstable and can destroy the battery and your laptop.
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