Battery Safety

This presentation examines how mechanical stress and fast charging impact lithium-ion battery reliability and safety. It highlights key degradation mechanisms and practical insights into testing methods and strategies to improve battery performance, prevent failure for safer energy storage applications.

Cell degradation is commonly characterised by electrochemical signatures. However, there is more to the story than meets the eye. We investigate the impact of aging parameters on cell internal changes characterised through CT scanning to improve cell performance and durability.

As battery manufacturing rapidly evolves, comprehensive risk analysis of personnel chemical exposures is imperative for industry longevity. This talk explores Tesla’s holistic approach to identifying, quantifying (via standard and novel sampling methods), and mitigating exposures to chemicals in lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) battery manufacturing. In this presentation, we will discuss design and operational solutions for manufacturers to proactively protect employee health while maintaining regulatory compliance (US) in a high-flux industry.

Batteries present unique safety risks throughout their lifecycle—from production, transportation, and use, to end-of-life disposal/recycling. This talk highlights the Office of Hazardous Materials Safety's battery research portfolio at the U.S. Department of Transportation. Our battery safety research covers safety throughout the lifecycle, investigating safer packaging, risks of new/emerging chemistries, battery safety monitoring/detection, and end-of-life handling. Additionally, the team pursues applied research on innovative technologies that can enhance battery safety.

This talk will detail the recent high-level objectives and capabilities of the battery safety and abuse testing program at Sandia National Laboratories. Sandia's recent efforts in large-scale and system testing will be detailed, as well as new efforts to understand the effectiveness of fire suppressants on battery fires and impacts to first responders. A brief overview of Sandia capabilities will also be provided.

Effective battery fleet management is essential for optimizing performance, safety, and lifespan in large-scale energy storage and transportation systems. This talk will explore strategies for monitoring battery health, predicting end-of-life, and implementing sustainable recycling or repurposing solutions, highlighting best practices for maximizing value while minimizing environmental impac

The presentation will cover the typical battery development process from requirements definition to cell selection and battery pack design and development and how there can be several key interactions with safety regulations. An overview of safety regulations for the United States will be shared along with an overview of the new FMVSS 305a rule and its new requirements. Key tests and standards that aim to improve product safety at various levels of the design will be highlighted with the goal of helping industry adapt quickly to changing regulations.

The ever-growing number of battery-powered devices has led to an increase in the use of battery power banks, with many carrying at least one at all times. Combined with the ever-decreasing costs of battery manufacturing, “free” power banks have become common handouts for companies or events. But sometimes you get what you pay for: This talk will provide a case study on the quality of “free” power banks and will discuss safety risks that may arise from the lower quality control associated with the lower costs.

Concerns about the safety of lithium-ion batteries have motivated numerous studies on the response of fresh cells to abusive, off-nominal conditions, but studies on aged cells are relatively rare. This talk reviews all open literature on the thermal abuse response of aged lithium-ion cells to identify critical changes in their behavior relative to fresh cells. We will also share more recent data from a broad experimental study of aged cell safety across multiple chemistries and safety testing protocols

Sodium-ion cells and batteries are being introduced fast into the commercial market so it is imperative to understand the characteristics and trends that this chemistry offers with respect to performance and safety. There are many different chemistries being offered for the cathode and anode materials and many types of electrolytes are also being used. Studies on the performance and safety will provide sufficient data to set standards for the safe use of these new chemistry of commercial cells and batteries.

This talk will focus on providing a quantitative understanding of the diverging behaviors of up-and-coming cell technologies including their abuse tolerance and hazards during thermal runaway. The talk will also cover what is still unknown about the behaviors of next-generation cells, and how modelling and experimentation can be combined to accelerate our insight into their behaviors and therefore help us foresee upcoming opportunities and challenges for safe battery pack designs.

A metallized polymer cathode current collector demonstrated consistent isolation of internal short circuits triggered by a slow, shallow (3mm) radial nail penetration in 5Ah, 21700 cells yielding > 265 Wh/kg. A remarkable consistency (16 no thermal runaways (TR) in 16 attempts) while penetrated at 100% SoC occurred. In contrast, metal Al foil collector control cells went into immediate TR under same test. High speed radiography provides unique insights into the phenomena.

The International Code Council ad-hoc committee was tasked with performing a gap analysis on the impact of lithium-ion batteries and associated codes and standards. Established by the Code Council Board of Directors, the committee identified four major areas. This presentation will review the findings, recommendations, and actions related to how lithium-ion batteries are manufactured, stored, and used in our built environment.