Gear

Why Batteries Explode

Let us return to the halcyon days of 1990, when Sony invented the lithium-ion battery, a technology that has led to countless product recalls, numerous small explosions and fires and a growing sense of "Is this the best they can do?’" Engineers says the original design wasn’t all that bad, but ongoing pressures to cut […]

Let us return to the halcyon days of 1990, when Sony invented the lithium-ion battery, a technology that has led to countless product recalls, numerous small explosions and fires and a Nuclear_fireball growing sense of "Is this the best they can do?'" Engineers says the original design wasn't all that bad, but ongoing pressures to cut costs, boost juice and extend battery life have pushed the formula to--and sometimes beyond--its limits. Says Jim Miller, manager of Argonne National Lab’s Electrochemical Technology Program:

You can’t really say that for the first ten years the battery makers got it right and now they’re screwing it up...A problem doesn’t necessarily pop up during the first generation of cells. Things may look fine in the lab and then when you go to production you find that the technology behaves in a slightly different way, which means things can and do go wrong.

Many point the finger at outsourcing, saying Japanese battery makers did a good job of ensuring quality standards when manufacturing was done on site but can't guarantee the same precision as production has moved offshore.

What's Wrong With Lithium-Ion Batteries?[Electronics Weekly]