With the proliferation of electric vehicles and battery-powered devices of all kinds, we have to ask ourselves whether our safety isn't becoming increasingly compromised.

The news and the various videos available on viewing platforms show us that the batteries in our favourite devices are far from harmless: mobile phone batteries explode, scooters on charge, electric cars, electrical appliances left plugged in all catch fire... Every battery-powered device is a potential danger to ourselves, our children or our homes.

What all these batteries have in common is the lithium they contain.

Although there are safeguards in place to prevent them from burning, they are not always optimal:

• Lithium cells internal fuses also cut off the load in the event of a sudden rise in temperature.
• The Battery Management System is an electronic board that manages the charging and discharging of the cells. It checks the operating parameters of the batteries and offers various functions to limit the risk of overheating.

The problem with these two types of protection is that some unscrupulous manufacturers, in order to reduce their manufacturing costs, neglect quality by producing cells or cards that do not have all the necessary control safeguards in the event of battery overheating, which can, in the worst case scenario, cause the batteries to explode or burn.

What should I do if a battery catches fire?

If the fire breaks out outside, let it burn but call the fire brigade immediately fumes that are highly toxic.

Firefighters have to deal with 3 types of lithium battery whose combustion is more or less easy to control: lithium-ions, which are fairly tricky to control, lithium-polymers, which are even harder to control, and lithium-iron-phosphate batteries, which do not catch fire.

Lithium-ion batteries can be doused with a lot of water to cool the cells and stop the metals in them melting. However, they can reignite several hours later, so you need to be very vigilant.

The combustion of lithium-metal-polymer batteries, which is very difficult to extinguish, can possibly be controlled by using sand to prevent the supply of oxygen.

So what are the prevention solutions?

We have seen that putting out a battery fire is very complicated and that it can spread very quickly, especially in an enclosed space such as a garage or a home. The first solution to consider is therefore to prevention.

There are several ways to prevent a battery fire:

• The place where you load your equipment must not be cluttered with flammable objects or materials, and must be fitted with a smoke detectorthe device reacts by emitting a shrill acoustic signal as soon as the first smoke appears.
• La fire blanket it also has the characteristic of not deteriorating when exposed to very high temperatures.
• The extinguishers if conventional extinguishers are ineffective against a lithium battery fire, you will need at least a type D extinguisher for metal fires, the most effective being a extinguisher for lithium fireswhich contains a fluid material that coats and cools each cell.
• Only buy equipment that has been checked, tested and complies with European safety standards.
• Never leave an appliance plugged in unattended and follow the charging instructions recommended by the manufacturer.
• Do not use it if it has been knocked or damaged.
• Unplug the appliance if you have the slightest doubt (suspicious odour, smoke development, etc.)

To sum up, if a fire breaks out, it's essential to keep your cool. Unplug your equipment and call the fire brigade immediately. Avoid breathing the highly toxic fumes as much as possible and evacuate your home by closing the door behind you. If you have a lithium-ion fire extinguisher, use it, but don't put yourself in danger.

There is no such thing as zero risk, so always be vigilant!