The REAL STORY is that it’s our personal stuff that can hurt us, and that it seriously needs our SERIOUS attention.
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So, let’s ask a question again – but asking the right question, which is about the Batteries – not the Vehicles.
“So really, tell me…. are Lithium-ion Batteries SAFE or NOT?”
Its an easy question to ask, but there is no SINGLE answer. To make sense of this, let’s ask exactly the same question about something we all know about.
“So really, tell me…. is a 4 gallon can of Gasoline SAFE or NOT?” (…the spare for the car or the lawnmower)
Answer:
The Gasoline is ‘safe’
- if the gasoline has not spilled on the outside of the can
- if the lid has the original screw-on cap and rubber seal
- if the can is not punctured or leaking
- if the space it’s stored in is ventilated
- if there is no naked flame like an open fireplace or a cigarette.
- if there is no electric appliance, like a fan, with the motor sparking
- and so on….
If two or three of those have the ‘wrong’ answer then there is a real chance that you could have a fire.
So can YOU answer the question yourself? – Is the can of Gasoline ‘Safe’?
| Unexpected sources of ignition… a true story The city of Hong Kong, like very many cities in the world has ‘Domestic Gas’ piped into every home, and it is used for water heating and cooking. It is ‘mature’ technology and fundamentally safe. However, leaks do sometimes occur, although they are not common. Way back in the 1980’s, there was a leak in a 12th floor apartment. It seemed no-one was home, but a good neighbour, smelling the gas outside in the hallway, went to the door to check and pressed the door bell. The unexpected response was devastating. One spark in the (now old-fashioned) electric doorbell, inside the apartment, ignited the gas and blew the entire front off the 12th floor apartment, which landed, with all its contents, 35M (120ft) below in the street, where miraculously no-one was badly hurt. Gasoline vapour also needs only one tiny spark. Is gas safe? |
“What about your E-Bike, your phone, your laptop, your EV, or your battery-powered DIY screwdriver? Are the Lithium-ion Batteries SAFE or NOT?”
Answer:
A Lithium-ion Battery is ‘safe’ IF…
- it is well-made, with no internal defects…. (it may be cheap for a reason!)
- it has passed a Consumer Quality check like UL, CE, or BS ‘Kitemark’
- it is original and has not been rebuilt.
- it has not been overcharged
- you are using the original charger and there is no damage to the cable
- it has not been over-DIS-charged
- it has not been heated or allowed to overheat under a blanket or pillow
- it has not been damaged – dropped, cracked, pierced, or crushed
- it is not swollen or distorted
- it has not been wetted or immersed in water or other liquid
If all – I mean ALL – the answers to these questions are ‘YES’ then there is a very good chance that the Battery is ‘SAFE’. Any other answers will mean the Battery MAY not be ‘SAFE’.
So can YOU answer the general question about Lithium-ion Batteries – are they ‘SAFE’?
It seems that the answer still is – well! …. sort of..YES and NO!! Which doesn’t really tell us very much, does it?
The problem is that we know they can go bad – VERY BAD – very quickly – big time!
BUT – ‘Less than 1 battery in 1 million ever catches fire’ * so the chance is VERY small…. ……but the CONSEQUENCES can be life-changing, and not in a nice way.
* Underwriters Laboratories 2023
Here’s the thing – we have a bit of a challenge –
We want to tell you that “Li-ion Batteries can be super scary SOMETIMES – so be careful”
AND
We also want to tell you – “Don’t worry!” …… its actually OK – MOST of the time!
Can you manage BOTH those ideas at once? ……. Well, you need to!
Explore with us, the very instructive subject of ‘Safe’ in more detail in post What does SAFE mean?
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