Lithium ion batteries are the most commonly used type of rechargeable battery used in electronic devices like smartphones, tablets, laptops, digital cameras, and now electric cars. They have one of the best energy densities, no memory effect, and a slow loss of charge when not in use.  But how safe are lithium ion batteries?

Self-Combusting iPhone

Last Friday, Regional Express released a statement regarding a mobile phone self-combusting.  The incident happened aboard Rex flight ZL319 operating from Lismore to Sydney.  A passenger’s mobile phone started emitting a significant amount of smoke as the device glows red.  The passenger threw the device on the plane’s floor and a Rex flight attendant quickly extinguished the device.  The mobile device, an Apple iPhone, was handed to the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) which, together with Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA), are handling the investigation.

“We are investigating, it’s quite early on in the investigation,” a spokesman for the ATSB said. “However, we do have the phone, it’s in our custody, and we will be undertaking a technical examination of it. We will be interviewing directly involved parties and also in our technical examination of the phone we are going to be consulting with the manufacturer as well.”

Self-Combusting Chevrolet Volt

A parked Chevrolet Volt caught fire three weeks after a side-impact crash test.  The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is still investigating the incident.

“I want to make this very clear: the Volt is a safe car,” Jim Federico, GM’s chief engineer, said. “We are working cooperatively with NHTSA as it completes its investigation. However, NHTSA has stated that based on available data, there’s no greater risk of fire with a Volt than a traditional gas-powered car.”

LG Chem, South Korea’s biggest chemical maker and supplier of Volt batteries said that it “is fully aware of the situation and is working closely with GM and NHTSA on the investigation,” the Seoul- based company said in an e-mailed statement distributed by Dick Pacini of the Millerschin Group, a public relations firm that represents it in the U.S.

The incident happened back in May and since then, they have been trying to replicate the crash and other circumstances in order to find out what caused the fire.  So far, none of their actions caused the same result.  There are instances wherein lithium gets quite hot but that rarely happens and catching on fire may be brought about by physical trauma to the battery like being punctured.

Li-ion Safety

For now, no one can really conclude whether lithium ion batteries are safe or hazardous, but that doesn’t mean that we should just brush it off.  Take all the precautions you can:

For electronic devices, do not over charge them or leave them plugged longer than they should be; avoid dropping your electronic devices, as you do not know what damage can result to even a minute amount of impact; take good care of your electronics, do not expose it to extreme temperatures and moisture, especially if it is not designed for that kind of torture.

As for your electric vehicle, be a responsible car owner and check under the hood regularly to see if there are any leaks, and to see if you’re vehicle is properly lubricated.  Remember, you are not the only person on the road, so you’re not only keeping yourself safe, but other people as well.