More Education Needed About Lithium Battery Safety: Expert

A burnt out garage following an explosion caused by an e-bike charging in Sydney, Australia, on March 20, 2023. AAP Image/Supplied by Fire and Rescue NSW

Engineering experts have warned that the public needs more education and training about battery safety amid a rise in lithium-related fires across Australia.

Recently, a number of high-profile fires have broken out in major capital cities due to lithium battery issues, raising concerns about the safety of electronic devices, vehicles, and items equipped with rechargeable batteries.

In late September, a fire erupted at a $60 million Telsa lithium battery storage facility in Queensland, just two months after commencing operation.

While no casualties or injuries reported, the fire destroyed a battery unit and released toxic gases into the environment, prompting authorities to instruct nearby communities to keep doors and windows closed to avoid the harmful effects of the gases.

In New South Wales (NSW), a fire caused by lithium battery ignition destroyed five cars in a car park near Sydney Airport on Sept. 11.

A month later, an e-bike exploded inside a hostel in Sydney, causing a man to be hospitalised.

NSW Fire Authorities suspect the faulty lithium battery was the cause of the fire.

In an interview with 2GB Radio, Matthew Priestley, an expert from the School of Electrical Engineering at the University of New South Wales, believed there needed to be more awareness about lithium battery safety.

Amid the lack of available information, Mr. Priestley said his team was setting up a training course for the public.

“We’re actually rolling out a new training course early next year. It’s actually going to be free for the general public to educate them on what risks there are with lithium-ion batteries and how to treat these safely,” he said.

Battery Safety Issues People Are Not Aware Of

Mr. Priestley said there were many issues with the way people use and dispose of lithium batteries, which could cause fires.

Pointing to incidents where garbage trucks have caught on fire due to disposed lithium batteries, he said it was easy for batteries to short-circuit when put together inside a bin.

“If you’ve got a bin that has a wide range of different types of lithium-ion batteries, different sizes and energy levels of them, what can happen is those two button batteries short out and create some hotspot that can then burn through another lithium-ion battery that has a lot more energy, and it can create a rather large fire,” Mr. Priestley said.

The expert suggested that people should be careful of what goes in their bins and ensure all the terminals of lithium batteries are taped and cannot connect to others.

Charred remains of e-bikes and scooters sit outside of a building in New York City, on June 20, 2023. Spencer Platt/Getty Images

While lithium batteries normally come with a management system that monitors their health, Mr. Priestley advised people against charging their devices overnight.

“The protection functionality is there. It is a barrier against something going wrong, but you don’t just want to rely on that. I would recommend not charging overnight if you can avoid it,” he said.

In addition, the expert noted that some cheap charging devices in the market either had substandard battery management systems or might not even have one, resulting in no safeguard when something went wrong during the charging process.

“We’ve also seen the case of people just using an incorrect charger for the battery,” Mr. Priestley said.

“And that may be one of the reasons why the protection mechanism doesn’t actually work properly.”

Do Not Fight Lithium Battery Fires

At the same time, Mr. Priestley advised people not to fight lithium battery fires.

He explained it was difficult to extinguish because temperatures could soar quickly, and there was a chance the fire could reignite after being put out.

“If you do see a fire like that, the best advice that’s been given at the moment is to actually evacuate the area,” he said.

“Don’t try and fight it and call the emergency services because they’ve been trained on how to do it.”

Mr. Priestley also noted that people needed to ensure they did not inhale gases coming off a lithium battery fire as the chemicals inside could be very toxic.

On a different issue, Mr. Priestley believed current regulations on the safety standard of lithium battery devices were not strict.

The expert said the government should tighten regulations among cheaper products in sectors such as mobility, tools, and consumer goods, where the risk of lithium-ion battery issues was the highest.