Batteries: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

Several years ago, the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 became notorious after allegedly causing fires and was even restricted on planes (no charging or powering on). These incidents resulted in the recall of about 1 million phones. Batteries are all around us, not just in the Note 7.

The use of batteries is growing rapidly as we become a more mobile society. Lithium ion batteries in particular are being used in electric vehicles, electric motorcycles, mobile phones, notebook PCs, tablet PCs, e-cigarettes, and many more items. We hear about battery-related fires and explosions happening regularly. For example, hoverboards have also received considerable bad press and have been investigated by the Consumer Product Safety Commission and banned by numerous airlines.

So, with all of these problems, why do we keep using lithium ion batteries? Well, one reason is that the lithium ion battery stores a lot of energy for its size and is rechargeable. The demand for lighter devices with longer run times is not a new requirement. Remember the original cell phones that came in a bag? Yes, we used them because of the convenience but, as consumers, we demanded lighter more portable devices for our active lifestyles – hence the steady progression of smaller batteries with the ability to last longer.

ARCCA’s engineers have the experience and qualifications to handle all of your fire investigation needs, including cases involving battery failures.