Electrolytes, lithium ion cells and corresponding methods are provided, for extending the cycle life of fast charging lithium ion batteries. The electrolytes are based on fluoroethylene carbonate (FEC) and/or vinylene carbonate (VC) as the cyclic carbonate component, and possibly on ethyl acetate (EA) and/or ethyl methyl carbonate (EMC) as the linear component. Proposed electrolytes extend the cycle life by factors of two or more, as indicated by several complementary measurements.