Lithium-ion battery risks - part 1 | Andrew Maynard | Risk Bites

What are the hazards associated with lithium-ion batteries, and how can these turn into safety risks?

As Boeing grapples with lithium-ion battery safety issues in their 787 Dreamliner, Risk Bites looks at the risk science behind these batteries that are increasingly ubiquitous in cell phones, laptops, cars, and now high-tech airplanes. This week we just cover the bottom-line safety stuff. Next week Risk Bites will be getting heavy with the science behind how lithium-ion batteries work and how this influences safety and risk. And if there's enough interest, we may follow that at some point with a Risk Bites on new technologies that either make lithium-ion batteries safer, or provide a safer alternative.

This week's Risk Bites team:
Mike Capracotta (Technical advice)
David Faulkner (Post-production)
Andrew Maynard (all the other stuff)

Useful resources:

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[migrations]

Hey I just want to tell you guys that I hade a vaporizer battery explode in my hand. It blasted off like a rocket and I had to call 911. It was a really scary experience, but I survived. This stuff is no joke man. Be careful everyone.

[gutsyeagle]

Lovely presentation, thumbs-up for the beautiful work.

[Megalomaniakaal]

one of my old phone's battery is totally bulged up and I don't dare use it, how to properly dispose of it?

[ajeesh]

How to prevent overcharging, while doing it manually

[Stonkish]

One of my pairs of "married" Sony VTC5a was accidentially stored for over a month partially discharged, and when charging them again I discovered that both of them showed a charge of 1.94-2.02 volts, well below the recommended minimum discharge level of 2.5 volts. I know you should not store discharged batteries for a longer period of time since they can be damaged. How safe are they to use again?

[audiaudi]

good info..nice presentation..simple and understandable

[myronhensel]

I think the lifepo4 lithium chemistry is much safer right?

[bensheapard]

I subscribed. Once a battery is slightly punctured and it’s gets hot does that mean it has discharged? Is a punctured battery that has overheated and smelly but allowed to cooled down still dangerous? Or has all of the power escaped from the overheat event?

[mohammedal-alaw]

What if we leave them uncharged; would we still face the risk of short-circuits?

[au]

I HAVE IT IN MY HOVERBOARD is it dangerous??

[Pindi]

Nice work, thanks. Are Li ion batts safer than LiPos, of which I´ve seen lots of horror videos?

[wanzXandrx]

My power bank battery has an hole on it..just a small hole...its a lithium rechargeable battery...can i still use it as a power bank or its not safe for me to use it??or i should buy a new one😂

*pleade answer me🙏

[asedeyhot]

The hotter it gets, the faster it heats up....👍👍👍

[lolynfabtrends]

ohh, that's why my jjrc elfie h37 exploded

[HorizonsUnlimited]

And what percentage of the gross weight of a B-787 is that battery pack? The weight saving is hardly worth talking about.