North Carolina State University researchers have created new software for estimating the remaining charge left in a battery. 
 
Existing software for identifying a battery's charge capacity can be inaccurate, mainly because there are so many changing factors associated with a battery's lifespan. A few are temperature, the battery's charge/discharge history, and the rate at which it's charged. These factors are usually constantly changing, so it's hard for computer software to keep up in real-time and make accurate predictions. 
 
But the NC State team fixed this by allowing data to be plugged into computer models more than once to accommodate the changing factors. The software identifies these changes, offering a more accurate estimate of the remaining charge. 
 
According to test results, the new software is capable of estimating the remaining battery charge within 5 percent. This means that if the estimate is set at 48 percent remaining battery, then the real state of charge lies somewhere between 43 and 53 percent. 
 
This could not only help users determine when their car's electric battery or batteries for a particular electronic device will die, but also help developers create longer-lasting batteries.
 
"This improved accuracy will give us additional insight into the dynamics of the battery, which we can use to develop techniques that will lead to more efficient battery management," said Dr. Mo-Yuen Chow, professor of electrical and computer engineering at NC State. "This will not only extend the life of the charge in the battery, but extend the functional life of the battery itself."