RECHARGEABLE BATTERIES POSE RISK OF FIRE
We’re all playing Russian roulette with devices powered by lithium ion batteries.
Chances are you have dozens of lithium ion-powered devices inside your home right now. Some are probably hooked up to chargers — and that’s when they are most likely to ignite and cause a destructive fire.
But we accept the risks in exchange for the rewards. The good news: Scientists are working to make them non-flammable.
First marketed for commercial use nearly 30 years ago, lithium ion batteries deliver far more power for longer periods between charges than traditional wet cell batteries. They’ve spawned dramatic improvements to countless products we use every day, like smartphones, tablets, high-definition cameras, laptop computers, scooters, hoverboards, electric bikes, compact lights, electric cars and whole-house solar energy systems.
But thousands are recalled each year as fire hazards — able to ignite without warning in homes and garages, cars and buses, factories and repair shops. Recalled batteries are both large and small, and while combustion is rare, it can be devastating when it happens.
Two of the most widely publicized and tragic fires involving lithium ion batteries occurred in South Florida and involved Tesla Model S electric cars. In May 2018, two teens died after their car crashed and burst into flames in Fort Lauderdale. Last May, a doctor died when his car became engulfed after a crash in Davie.
Tesla Model S sedans are powered by arrays of more than 7,000 lithium ion cells, slightly larger than standard AA batteries, encased below the cars’ cabins.
A Lake Worth Beach family received a sobering lesson of the batteries’ destructive power in November 2018 after Elijah Oliphant disconnected a battery from the Monmouth electric bicycle he bought that June and set it on the floor of a bedroom he used for his office, intending to connect it to its charger.
“His wife then asked him to help her get their child ready for bed,” according to a report by Palm Beach County Fire Rescue. “He walked away from the battery and it began to smoke and hum.”
Before Oliphant could retrieve water to try to douse the battery, it burst into flames, the report said. As smoke filled the house, Oliphant and his wife escaped with their two small children but, according to a GoFundMe campaign created by Oliphant’s sister Melinda, “lost their entire house and all its belongings.”
A year later, the couple’s insurer, Fort Lauderdale-based Universal Property & Casualty, filed a federal lawsuit against the China-based manufacturer of the battery’s cells, plus Panasonic, which assembled the battery, and the California-based retailer, California EBike LLC, which sold it to the eBay retailer that sold it to Oliphant. Universal is seeking to recover $212,000 it paid the family, plus legal fees.
Reached via text message, Oliphant’s wife, Sharon Oliphant, wrote, “We are definitely leery of lithium ion now!”
Whether the rest of us are as leery as we should be is subject to debate.
The battery model identified in the lawsuit and the fire investigation report remains widely available via e-commerce websites.
The report blamed the blaze on “an unspecified electrical malfunction” of the battery.
Officials from Panasonic and the Chinese cell manufacturer did not immediately respond to requests for comment. But an online search for the battery model cited as causing the blaze turned up no information suggesting it has been recalled or was blamed for other fires.
A spokesman for Universal Property & Casualty Corp. said the Oliphants’ fire was the company’s first claim involving an exploded lithium ion battery.
Batteries are becoming safer and will become more so as research continues, experts say. Still, consumers with lithium ion-powered devices should follow these safeguards from the Consumer Product Safety Commission and the Florida State Marshal’s Office and bicycling.com:
If replacing batteries, make sure you purchase products recommended by the device manufacturer.
■ Don’t permit disconnected batteries to come into contact with metal objects, such as coins, keys or jewelry.
■ Always follow the manufacturer’s instructions.
■ Only use the charging cord that came with the device.
■ Do not crush, puncture or put a high degree of pressure on the battery, as this can cause an internal short circuit and result in overheating.
■ Don’t use laptop computers on carpets, blankets or other soft surfaces that can interfere with heat dissipation from underside vents.
■ Don’t charge a device under a pillow, on a sofa or on a bed.
■ Avoid dropping devices powered by lithium ion batteries, and do not allow the devices to get very hot or wet.
■ Keep batteries at room temperature.
■ Don’t keep all lithium ion battery powered items together.
■ Avoid overcharging batteries and don’t leave devices on chargers unattended.
■ Charge devices only on nonflammable surfaces.
Recalled batteries are both large and small, and while combustion is rare, it can be devastating when
it happens.