Lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery fires usually have a cause, even if what the user has done has been done loads of times before. Li-ion battery fires are still uncommon but they do have factors that can increase the likelihood of one starting. We touched upon overcharging in the last iteration but another factor is whether the battery is overheating.

Overheating

Overheating can be caused by many different things such as blocked ventilation or over exposure to direct heat such as the sun. In most overheating due to being in the direct sun for too long comes in the form of li-ion battery fires in electric cars. These fires are usually very dangerous as obviously there are many things that are flammable inside of cars and when a li-ion fire occurs in an electric car they quickly ball up in flames as the battery itself is spread along the whole of the bottom of the car. Some cases for this have been involved with Teslas that have gone up in flames and some have been caused by this overheating but some coming from other sources that we will touch upon in a later iteration.

Another common reason for fires caused by overheating is leaving products such as phones charging under things like pillows or blankets where ventilation is poor. These fires are dangerous as they are likely in or under a carbonaceous item that is very flammable and would allow the fire to spread with ease.

Check out our last iteration of Lithium-ion battery fires here.