T500 9 cell battery

[CASPER]

Hi, battery in my thinkpad will soon reach 700 cycles. It still holds about 73%, but I am wondering how long I can manage to use it? I use 42T4620 9-cell Panasonic. I am afraid the situation that met X4x series, original batteries are really hard to find now, will affect T500 soon, too. Should I buy a spare one now as they are still available? How long I could store it charged at ~40% before actually using it?

Greetings

[RealBlackStuff]

Not to worry.
Panasonic batteries will easily last for 10 years or more.
If you want a spare one, get another Panasonic, charge it up to ~40% and store cool until you need it.
Check every month or so to keep the charge at ~40%.
In the T500 power-settings, set the max-charge level to 95% so it doesn't get so many cycles.

[CASPER]

Good to hear that. I set charge limit to 45 % some time ago and change it when I know the battery will be needed. Hope this will prevent it from excessive wear.