What is the TC / CC / CV Charging Method

TC-CC-CV charging method is a three-stage process of charging lithium-ion batteries. It is first originated from XTAR, the top-brand Li-ion battery charger manufacturer in China. This method prolongs Li-ion battery life and improves capacity utilization by charging with the right current at each stage and accurately cut-off charging at the right time.

TC stage: trickle charging. When the Li-ion battery voltage is lower than 3V, it starts to charge with a very small current to awake and protect the battery.

CC stage: constant current charging. When the battery voltage rises above 3V, the charger enters into fast charging with 0.5C rate.

CV stage: constant voltage charging. When the battery reaches 4.2V, the charger starts charging with decreasing current. When the current is lower than 0.01C, the charger automatically cut off charging.

The high-end Li-ion battery charger uses this TC/CC/CV charging method to quickly charge the cells and protect the cells in good condition. The trickle charge uses a soft start method to slowly increase the current, protect the charger and the battery. The constant current charging ensures a fast charging speed. The constant voltage charging makes battery be fully charged without over-charging.

The XTAR smart battery chargers automatically detect the input power, battery type, and battery internal resistance, then intelligently select an optimal charging strategy, including the current in constant current charging phase. This ensures fast charging under the condition of prolonging battery life.