As electric vehicles (EVs) gain popularity, battery safety remains a top concern — and a key roadblock to widespread adoption.
While EVs offer significant environmental benefits, the increasing size and energy density of battery packs are elevating safety issues. Understanding these risks and the innovations designed to address them is crucial for both consumers and manufacturers.
The Growing Risk of EV Fires: Threats and Causes
As global EV adoption grows, so too does the number of reported EV-related fires. Several factors, including larger, high-performance battery packs, the use of nickel-rich cathode materials, aging batteries, and lithium dendrite formation, all contribute to the heightened risk of battery fires.
While larger batteries are needed to meet consumers’ range and performance needs, they raise the risk of thermal runaway — an uncontrollable chain reaction of rapidly increasing temperatures, caused by battery damage, which leads to fires.
An elevated fire risk is also associated with nickel-rich cathode materials (such as NMC 811 and NMC 901), which offer higher energy density in smaller, lighter batteries. When damaged, these batteries can overheat quickly, causing fires. Additionally, as EV batteries age and stay on the road for longer periods of time, the risk of fire may increase because of dendrite formations.
Dendrite formations are tree-like structures of lithium metal that grow on the anode during charging. Dendrites can pierce the separator between the anode and cathode, causing internal short circuits, overheating, and thermal runaway, making battery management and safety even more important over time.
Addressing the Safety Challenges
To mitigate fire risks, automakers are exploring several approaches:
- Smaller, Safer Batteries: Manufacturers are increasingly turning to LFP (Lithium Iron Phosphate) batteries, which are safer and less prone to thermal runaway, though they provide a lower energy density.
- Thermal Barriers: Battery packs are designed with cell-to-cell thermal barriers that prevent heat from spreading throughout the pack in case of a malfunction.
- Advanced Battery Management Systems (BMS): Modern BMS technologies monitor a battery's health, managing temperature and charge cycles to prevent overheating and potential fires.
Driving Toward the Future: Balancing Innovation, Safety, and Sustainability
We are at a crossroads: consumers demand longer ranges and faster charging from EVs, but the larger, more energy-dense batteries needed to meet these expectations drive up both costs and safety risks.
Innovative battery technologies are key to addressing both of these challenges. 24M is leading the way with solutions designed to make EVs safer, more affordable, and higher-performing. Some of our key innovations include:
- Impervio™ Separator Technology: A revolutionary separator that prevents dendrite formation, which can lead to short circuits, and monitors the cell’s electrochemistry to prevent potential failures.
- LiForever™ Technology: These technologies enable thicker electrodes, which increase energy density while reducing costs and improving safety.
- Unit Cell/ETOP™ Technology: A patented technology that improves packing efficiency, allowing LFP batteries to compete on energy density with NMC chemistries.
The future of EVs depends on balancing performance, cost, and safety. As EV battery technology evolves, innovations like those from 24M provide a promising pathway forward. By reducing both the cost and fire risks associated with batteries, the industry is well-positioned to accelerate EV adoption.
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