A simple change in the way lithium-ion batteries are first charged can increase their lifetime by up to 50%, without changing their chemistry. Stanford researchers used AI to discover that using high charging currents during the first charge allows the batteries to withstand more charge cycles (from 1,500 to 2,200 cycles). This finding can be immediately applied by battery manufacturers, greatly improving electric vehicles and energy storage. newscientist.com 🇬🇧