When it comes to mobility, the future is electric, and that means a lot of batteries. Unfortunately, batteries can potentially catch fire or explode, causing fast, ferocious fires. But we might have a solution – or several solutions.
This article is Part Three, the final of a series I’ve been writing on lithium-ion battery fires in escooters and ebikes. Part One explored the incidence of battery fires, while Part Two looked at causation. Today I’m focusing on prevention. Let’s jump in:
Prevent the fire from occurring
What if we could prevent a fire from happening in the first instance?
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The Thermarestor device offers preventative maintenance. The device monitors detection points and detects heat.
If it detects abnormal heat (exceeding 80°C), it isolates the power and removes the ignition source.
It can be fitted into new and existing consumer electronics and is easy to install.
Verdict: Could a product like a Thermarestor be available for retrofit? I can see it resonating, especially with ebike owners that already hack their ebikes. Connecting observability to an app would also be helpful.
Internal extinguishing
What if there was a way to extinguish lithium-ion battery fires at the point they occur? Meet the e-bulb, marketed as “the world’s smallest fire extinguisher.”