Have you ever sold or purchased used electronics that run on batteries like smartphones or tablets? There is a battery jargon you need to know when you do that: State of Health (SoH).
What Is SoH?
Batteries, like all other products, have a lifespan. The SoH is a useful indicator for the remaining life and the current state of batteries. It shows the battery’s condition compared to its initial conditions at a glance.
How to Check SoH
You can easily check the SoH on some smartphones, tablets, or laptops. SoHs can vary even among batteries that have been used for the same period because battery life is affected by many factors including user habits and the environment.
In particular, the batteries of electric vehicles, if well maintained, can last for over 2-3 times of the manufacturer’s warranty period to power the vehicle and the SoH decreases only slowly. There is even a report that a Chevrolet Bolt EV purchased in May 2017 ran over a cumulative distance of over 400,000 km as of July 2021.
For devices that don’t offer information on battery health, you can use a special tester.
Check SoH When Buying a Second-hand Device.
If you want to buy a second-hand device that runs on batteries, you should not forget to check the SoH. Also, you can check it if you are interested in knowing the battery health of the devices you use.