Battery Care Vendor Specifics

The level of battery care support depends on laptop vendor or brand, Linux kernel version and TLP version. The following explains:

  • Which laptops are supported

  • Which kernel drivers are necessary for them

  • What charge control options are offered

  • Which values for the charge thresholds are supported by the hardware (and by TLP)

Prerequisites

In order to use charge thresholds or recalibration with TLP:

  1. The hardware must have the appropriate capability

  2. An existing kernel driver matching the hardware must provide these capabilities under Linux

As for obtaining kernel drivers, there are two options:

  1. Drivers that are maintained in the Linux kernel and shipped with each distribution. They are loaded automatically on supported laptops and do not require any user action.

  2. So-called “external kernel drivers”, which are not part of the Linux kernel and require the user to install additional, distribution specific packages. This case applies to ThinkPads only and is described in Installation.

Note

If the hardware does not have the capability or no suitable driver exists, then TLP battery care cannot control it. Please do not submit issues for hardware lacking kernel driver support for charge control options. Providing kernel drivers is not part of the TLP project.

Supported Hardware

ASUS

Hardware

ASUS laptops

Kernel driver

asus_wmi - required, included in distribution kernels (5.4 or newer)

TLP version

1.4 and newer

TLP plugin

asus

Charge control options

Stop charge threshold

Threshold configuration
Batteries BAT0, BATC and BATT share the STOP_CHARGE_THRESH_BAT0 parameter
Battery BAT1 uses the STOP_CHARGE_THRESH_BAT1 parameter

Stop threshold values
Range: 0 .. 100
Special:
0 - threshold off
100 - hardware default

Specifics
Some ASUS laptops silently ignore stop threshold values other than 40, 60 or 80. Please check if your configuration works as expected.
When resuming from suspend TLP restores the threshold.
When powering on, ASUS laptops reset the charge thresholds. TLP restores them on boot, but due to the hardware’s behaviour, there is a short time window where the thresholds do not take effect.

See also
ASUS laptops: stop charge threshold isn’t set at boot

Sample configuration

Stop charging battery BAT0, BATC and BATT at 80%:

START_CHARGE_THRESH_BAT0=0  # dummy value
STOP_CHARGE_THRESH_BAT0=80

Sample output of tlp-stat -b

+++ Battery Care
Plugin: asus
Supported features: charge threshold
Driver usage:
* natacpi (asus_wmi) = active (charge threshold)
Parameter value range:
* STOP_CHARGE_THRESH_BAT0/1: 0(off)..100(default)
[...]
/sys/class/power_supply/BAT0/charge_control_end_threshold   =     80 [%]

Huawei

Hardware

Huawei MateBooks

Kernel driver

huawei_wmi - required, included in distribution kernels (5.4 or newer)

TLP version

1.4 and newer

TLP plugin

huawei

Charge control options

Start and stop charge threshold

Threshold configuration

Batteries BAT0, BAT1 share the START/STOP_CHARGE_THRESH_BAT0 parameters

Start threshold values
Range: 0 .. 99
Special:
0 - hardware default, threshold off

Stop threshold values
Range: 1 .. 100
Special:
100 - hardware default

Specifics
When resuming from suspend TLP restores the threshold

Sample configuration

Start charging battery BAT0 and BAT1 when below 75% and stop at 80%:

START_CHARGE_THRESH_BAT0=75
STOP_CHARGE_THRESH_BAT0=80

Sample output of tlp-stat -b

++ Battery Care
Plugin: huawei
Supported features: charge thresholds
Driver usage:
* vendor (huawei_wmi) = active (charge thresholds)
Parameter value ranges:
* START_CHARGE_THRESH_BAT0:  0(default)..99
* STOP_CHARGE_THRESH_BAT0:   1..100(default)

/sys/devices/platform/huawei-wmi/charge_control_thresholds  = 75 80

Lenovo ThinkPads

Hardware

Lenovo ThinkPad series since model year 2011 - e.g. T420(s)/T520/W520/X220

Kernel drivers
thinkpad_acpi - required, included in distribution kernels
acpi_call - optional, enables recalibration for kernels before 5.17; distribution specific package needed

TLP version

all

TLP plugin

thinkpad

Charge control options

Start and stop charge threshold, recalibration

Threshold configuration
Main/internal battery BAT0 uses the START/STOP_CHARGE_THRESH_BAT0 parameters
Auxiliary/UltraBay battery BAT1 uses the START/STOP_CHARGE_THRESH_BAT1 parameters

Start threshold values
Range: 0 .. 99
Special:
0 - threshold off
96 - hardware default

Stop threshold values
Range: 1 .. 100
Special:
100 - hardware default, threshold off

See also
- Which external kernel module do I need for my ThinkPad?
- Misc ThinkPad battery malfunctions
- Erratic Battery Behaviour

Sample configuration

Start charging battery BAT0 when below 75% and stop at 80%:

START_CHARGE_THRESH_BAT0=75
STOP_CHARGE_THRESH_BAT0=80

Sample output of tlp-stat -b

+++ Battery Care
Plugin: thinkpad
Supported features: charge thresholds, recalibration
Driver usage:
* natacpi (thinkpad_acpi) = active (charge thresholds, recalibration)
Parameter value ranges:
* START_CHARGE_THRESH_BAT0/1:  0(off)..96(default)..99
* STOP_CHARGE_THRESH_BAT0/1:   1..100(default)
[...]
/sys/class/power_supply/BAT0/charge_control_start_threshold =     75 [%]
/sys/class/power_supply/BAT0/charge_control_end_threshold   =     80 [%]
/sys/class/power_supply/BAT0/charge_behaviour               = [auto] inhibit-charge force-discharge

Lenovo/IBM legacy ThinkPads

Hardware

Lenovo or IBM ThinkPad series before model year 2011

Kernel drivers
thinkpad_acpi - required, included in distribution kernels
tp_smapi - required, enables charge thresholds and recalibration; distribution specific package needed

TLP version

all

TLP plugin

thinkpad-legacy

Charge control options

start and stop charge threshold, recalibration

Threshold configuration
Main/internal battery BAT0 uses the START/STOP_CHARGE_THRESH_BAT0 parameters
Auxiliary/UltraBay battery BAT1 uses the START/STOP_CHARGE_THRESH_BAT1 parameters

Start threshold values
Range: 2 .. 96
Special:
96 - hardware default

Stop threshold values
Range: 6 .. 100
Special:
100 - hardware default, threshold off

See also

Which external kernel module do I need for my ThinkPad?

Sample configuration

Start charging battery BAT0 when below 75% and stop at 80%:

START_CHARGE_THRESH_BAT0=75
STOP_CHARGE_THRESH_BAT0=80

Sample output of tlp-stat -b

+++ Battery Care
Plugin: thinkpad-legacy
Supported features: charge thresholds, recalibration
Driver usage:
* tp-smapi (tp_smapi) = active (status, charge thresholds, recalibration)
Parameter value ranges:
* START_CHARGE_THRESH_BAT0/1:  2..96(default)
* STOP_CHARGE_THRESH_BAT0/1:   6..100(default)
[...]
/sys/devices/platform/smapi/BAT0/start_charge_thresh        =     75 [%]
/sys/devices/platform/smapi/BAT0/stop_charge_thresh         =     80 [%]
/sys/devices/platform/smapi/BAT0/force_discharge            =      0

Lenovo non-ThinkPad series

Hardware

Lenovo laptops (all non-ThinkPad series)

Kernel driver

ideapad_laptop - required, included in distribution kernels (4.14 or newer)

TLP version

1.4 and newer

TLP plugin

lenovo

Charge control options

Fixed stop charge threshold aka battery conservation mode

Threshold configuration

All batteries - BAT0, BAT1 - share the START/STOP_CHARGE_THRESH_BAT0 parameter

Stop threshold values
1 - batteries charge to the fixed threshold
0 - batteries charge to 100%, conservation mode off

Specifics
The fixed stop threshold value varies depending on the laptop model, 60% or 80% are common.
There is no way to read out the actual threshold in Linux, therefore it cannot be displayed by tlp-stat -b. The figure of 60% shown up to version 1.6 was based on an assumption, but (according to user feedback) does not apply to all models.
Some models ignore the setting, conservation mode remains off permanently.

Sample configuration

Stop charging battery BAT0 and BAT1 at the fixed threshold:

START_CHARGE_THRESH_BAT0=0  # dummy value
STOP_CHARGE_THRESH_BAT0=1

Stop charging battery BAT0 and BAT1 at 100%:

START_CHARGE_THRESH_BAT0=0  # dummy value
STOP_CHARGE_THRESH_BAT0=0

Sample output of tlp-stat -b

+++ Battery Care
Plugin: lenovo
Supported features: charge threshold
Driver usage:
* vendor (ideapad_laptop) = active (charge threshold)
Parameter value range:
* STOP_CHARGE_THRESH_BAT0: 0(off), 1(on) -- battery conservation mode

/sys/bus/platform/drivers/ideapad_acpi/VPC2004:00/conservation_mode = 1 (60%)

LG

Hardware

LG Gram laptops

Kernel driver

lg_laptop - required, included in distribution kernels

TLP version

1.4 and newer

TLP plugins

lg, lg-legacy

Charge control options

Fixed stop charge threshold at 80% aka battery care limit

Threshold configuration

All batteries - BAT0, BAT1, CMB0, CMB1 - share the STOP_CHARGE_THRESH_BAT0 parameter

Stop threshold values
80 - batteries charge to 80%
100 - batteries charge to 100%, battery care limit off

Specifics
1.6 and newer:
- When resuming from suspend TLP restores the threshold
- Plugin lg/kernel 5.18 (and newer): standard sysfs attribute charge_control_end_threshold is used
- Plugin lg-legacy/older kernels: battery_care_limit is used

Sample configuration

Stop charging battery BAT0, BAT1, CMB0 and CMB1 at 80%:

START_CHARGE_THRESH_BAT0=0  # dummy value
STOP_CHARGE_THRESH_BAT0=1

Stop charging battery BAT0, BAT1, CMB0 and CMB1 at 100%:

START_CHARGE_THRESH_BAT0=0  # dummy value
STOP_CHARGE_THRESH_BAT0=0

Sample outputs of tlp-stat -b

+++ Battery Care
Plugin: lg
Supported features: charge threshold
Driver usage:
* natacpi (lg_laptop) = active (charge threshold)
Parameter value range:
* STOP_CHARGE_THRESH_BAT0: 80(on), 100(off)
[...]
/sys/class/power_supply/BAT0/charge_control_end_threshold   =      80 [%]

+++ Battery Care
Plugin: lg-legacy
Supported features: charge threshold
Driver usage:
* vendor (lg_laptop) = active (charge threshold)
Parameter value range:
* STOP_CHARGE_THRESH_BAT0: 80(on), 100(off) -- battery care limit

/sys/devices/platform/lg-laptop/battery_care_limit          = 80 [%]

Samsung

Hardware

Samsung laptops

Kernel driver

samsung_laptop - required, included in distribution kernels

TLP version

1.4 and newer

TLP plugin

samsung

Charge control options

Fixed stop charge threshold at 80% aka battery life extender

Threshold configuration

All batteries - BAT0, BAT1 - share the STOP_CHARGE_THRESH_BAT0 parameter

Stop threshold values
1 - batteries charge to 80%
0 - batteries charge to 100%, battery life extender off

Sample configuration

Stop charging battery BAT0 and BAT1 at 80%:

START_CHARGE_THRESH_BAT0=0  # dummy value
STOP_CHARGE_THRESH_BAT0=1

Stop charging battery BAT0 and BAT1 at 100%:

START_CHARGE_THRESH_BAT0=0  # dummy value
STOP_CHARGE_THRESH_BAT0=0

Sample output of tlp-stat -b

+++ Battery Care
Plugin: samsung
Supported features: charge threshold
Driver usage:
* vendor (samsung_laptop) = active (charge threshold)
Parameter value range:
* STOP_CHARGE_THRESH_BAT0: 0(off), 1(on) -- -- battery life extender

/sys/devices/platform/samsung/battery_life_extender         = 1 (80%)

Sony

Hardware

Sony VAIO laptops

Kernel driver

sony_laptop - required, included in distribution kernels

TLP version

1.5 and newer

TLP plugin

sony

Charge control options

Stop threshold at 50, 80 or 100% aka battery care limiter

Threshold configuration

All batteries - BAT0, BAT1 - share the STOP_CHARGE_THRESH_BAT0 parameter

Stop threshold values
50 - batteries charge to 50%
80 - batteries charge to 80%
100 - batteries charge to 100%, battery care limiter off

Sample configuration

Stop charging battery BAT0 and BAT1 at 80%:

START_CHARGE_THRESH_BAT0=0  # dummy value
STOP_CHARGE_THRESH_BAT0=80

Stop charging battery BAT0 and BAT1 at 100%:

START_CHARGE_THRESH_BAT0=0  # dummy value
STOP_CHARGE_THRESH_BAT0=100

Sample output of tlp-stat -b

+++ Battery Care
Plugin: sony
Supported features: charge threshold
Driver usage:
* vendor (sony_laptop) = active (charge threshold)
Parameter value range:
* STOP_CHARGE_THRESH_BAT0: 50, 80, 100(off) -- battery care limiter

/sys/devices/platform/sony-laptop/battery_care_limiter      =     80 [%]

System76

Hardware

System76 laptops - models with with open source EC firmware only

Kernel drivers

system76_acpi - required, included in distribution kernels (5.16 or newer)

TLP version

1.6 and newer

TLP plugin

system76

Charge control options

Start and stop charge threshold

Threshold configuration

One battery only - BAT0 uses the START/STOP_CHARGE_THRESH_BAT0 parameters

Start threshold values
Range: 0 .. 99
Special:
0 - threshold off
90 - hardware default

Stop threshold values
Range: 1 .. 100
Special:
100 - hardware default, threshold off

Specifics
A stop threshold of 100 disables the feature.
A start value of 0 will always enable the charger, and charge up to the stop threshold.
The thresholds will be set to their defaults on EC reset (i.e. AC is unplugged when powered off).

Sample configuration

Start charging battery BAT0 when below 75% and stop at 80%:

START_CHARGE_THRESH_BAT0=75
STOP_CHARGE_THRESH_BAT0=80

Sample output of tlp-stat -b

+++ Battery Care
Plugin: system76
Supported features: charge thresholds
Driver usage:
* natacpi (system76_acpi) = active (charge thresholds)
Parameter value ranges:
* START_CHARGE_THRESH_BAT0:  0(off)..99
* STOP_CHARGE_THRESH_BAT0:   1..100(default)
[...]
/sys/class/power_supply/BAT0/charge_control_start_threshold =     75 [%]
/sys/class/power_supply/BAT0/charge_control_end_threshold   =     80 [%]

Toshiba

Hardware

Toshiba and Dynabook laptops

Kernel driver

toshiba_laptop - required, included in distribution kernels (6.0 and newer)

TLP version

1.6 and newer

TLP plugins

toshiba

Charge control options

Fixed stop charge threshold at 80%

Threshold configuration
BAT0 uses the STOP_CHARGE_THRESH_BAT0 parameter
BAT1 uses the STOP_CHARGE_THRESH_BAT1 parameter

Stop threshold values
80 - battery charges to 80%
100 - battery charges to 100%, hardware default

Specifics

The threshold is persistent (stored in NVRAM), even if the battery is removed and reinserted.

Sample configuration

Stop charging battery BAT1 at 80%:

START_CHARGE_THRESH_BAT1=0  # dummy value
STOP_CHARGE_THRESH_BAT1=80

Stop charging battery BAT1 at 100%:

START_CHARGE_THRESH_BAT1=0  # dummy value
STOP_CHARGE_THRESH_BAT1=100

Sample outputs of tlp-stat -b

+++ Battery Care
Plugin: toshiba
Supported features: charge threshold
Driver usage:
* natacpi (toshiba_acpi) = active (charge threshold)
Parameter value range:
* STOP_CHARGE_THRESH_BAT0/1: 80(on), 100(off)
[...]
/sys/class/power_supply/BAT1/charge_control_end_threshold   =     80 [%]

Unsupported Hardware

You may encounter the case that although one of the plugins listed above is active because the kernel driver matching the vendor/brand/model has been detected, and yet no charge control options are available:

+++ Battery Care
Plugin: <any of the above>
Supported features: none available

Here the obstacle can be on any level - hardware capabilities or firmware of the vendor’s model in question as well as the corresponding kernel driver - without TLP being able to determine exactly where.

For any laptop vendor/brand/model without

  • hardware capabilities or

  • corresponding kernel driver or

  • suitable battery care plugin

the output of tlp-stat -b looks like this:

+++ Battery Care
Plugin: generic
Supported features: none available

Final Notes

Applies to version 1.4 and newer only

  • Consult the output of tlp-stat -b for supported charge control options and allowed parameter values of your hardware

  • tlp setcharge validates your configuration and reports errors

  • A value of 0 is translated to the vendor specific default (or the disabled state)

  • If the hardware supports only a stop charge threshold, use START_CHARGE_THRESH_BATx=0

  • In case the hardware supports both thresholds and you want to apply only one, then use START_CHARGE_THRESH_BATx=0 or STOP_CHARGE_THRESH_BATx=100 to skip the other one

See also