This article demonstrates the design of charging strategies for lithium ion batteries with considering the balance between diffusion induced stress and total charge time for two- and three-stage charge methods. For the two-stage galvanostatic-potentiostatic charge method the low mechanical stress can be achieved without increasing total charge time by switching the galvanostatic to the potentiostatic at the time moment when the lithium concentration at the surface of particles reaches the limit c ¯ surf = 0 . A three-stage method, which consists of an initial galvanostatic stage of high current, a galvanostatic stage of low current and a potentiostatic ending stage, is suggested. Employing the initial galvanostatic stage of high current is helpful not only in accelerating the charge process, but also in controlling the mechanical stress once the electrical current and time duration of the initial galvanostatic stage are properly designed.