EV Fire: Understanding How Lithium-Ion Batteries Function

Social media and the world online have been abuzz after electric scooters from prominent EV brands have been bursting into flames. The most recent incident occurred in Chennai, when an electric scooter made by Hyderabad startup Pure EV burst into flames. This was the 4^th incident in 4 days which has caused a debate to start over the safety of lithium-ion batteries. Lithium-ion batteries are used in nearly all electronics ranging from our phones, our laptops to other electronic items. These batteries have been proven to be safe in most uses, but with the new e-scooters catching fire, this has put a doubt on their overall safety levels.

The lithium-ion battery when in use heats up and can even melt the separator between the cells if temperatures are too high. Due to this, all lithium-ion batteries come with a Battery Management System which is responsible for maintaining cell temperature, voltage and most importantly ventilation. Most systems contain a pressure sensitive vent that can prevent other cells within the battery from catching fire, if the temperature becomes too hot.

Lithium is an inherently reactive and flammable substance and thus improper manufacturing or an inefficient software within an EV vehicle can cause the battery to catch fire. A flaw in manufacturing also sometimes allows impurities to seep into the cell which can be dangerous when temperatures rise.

While we cannot completely remove lithium-ion batteries from our life we need to vigilant and careful while using them until more flame resistant technologies enter the market. We can adhere to the following steps to make our vehicles safer –

• One must avoid overcharging the battery or even keeping it in direct sunlight.
• With swappable battery units one must always inspect for chemical leaks and thermal runaways.
• One must always keep battery maintenance as a top priority and it should be routinely checked