Why Lithium Batteries Continue To Fail Your Phone And Laptop - And 6 Ways To Reduce The Risk

Kyle Kucharski/ZDNET

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ZDNET's cardinal takeaways

• It's uncommon for a rechargeable artillery to origin problems for nan user.
• Some 1,500 fires and 5,000 overheating incidents are attributed to rechargeable batteries yearly.
• Don't usage immoderate gadget that's damaged aliases showing signs of overheating.

Rechargeable batteries are everywhere.

Stop what you're doing and deliberation astir each nan things successful your life correct now that incorporate a rechargeable artillery -- nan laptops, smartphones, tablets, powerfulness banks, smart doorbells, and surveillance cameras. And don't hide to count your wearables:   smartwatches, earbuds, and smart rings each incorporate rechargeable batteries.

Then location are nan batteries that we put to our mouths and suck connected -- nan ones wrong e-cigarettes and vapes. 

Also: I tested a solid-state portable artillery for a week - now lithium-ion feels outdated

And don't hide that portable powerfulness position you person successful nan garage. That point is virtually a container filled pinch rechargeable batteries.

I'm betting that you person rather a few. 

Right now, I person astir a half a twelve wrong arm's reach, and a batch much that unrecorded astatine my home, nan office, aliases nan car. And I've astir apt forgotten astir that aged smartphone successful nan backmost of a drawer, aliases nan aged -- perchance recalled -- powerfulness slope successful my backpack.

For nan astir part, rechargeable battery-powered devices are incredibly well-behaved. It's a bully thing, really, because astir of america are happy to spell to slumber pinch a charging smartphone not acold from our caput each night, and cram ourselves onto an craft and walk galore hours astatine 40,000 feet surrounded by hundreds of different devices -- each of varying value and authorities of repair -- containing a rechargeable battery.

Also: The champion powerfulness banks of 2026: Expert tested and reviewed

But things tin -- and do -- spell wrong.

Just really vulnerable are rechargeable batteries?

I've pulled up information from a fewer sources, and it seems that rechargeable batteries are responsible for astir 1,500 location fires and immoderate 5,000 "overheating incidents" each year. E-cigarettes besides origin hundreds of injuries each year, astir of which, thankfully, aren't terrible aliases life-changing. 

And each year, a communicative makes nan news astir a smartphone aliases wearable artillery misbehaving. Fortunately, astir group locomotion distant from specified incidents pinch limbs attached and eyes working. However, that doesn't alteration nan truth that it could person been overmuch worse, and that we should beryllium vigilant and cognize what to do if we travel crossed a artillery that's gone bad.

A modern rechargeable artillery contains a batch of powerfulness successful a very mini space. Most of nan time, batteries do what they are expected to do -- merchandise that power slow and successful a controlled fashion. But if thing ever causes nan artillery to merchandise that power suddenly, that's erstwhile location is simply a consequence of detonation and fire.

As personification who has witnessed respective artillery fires (some deliberate, others unexpected), I person a patient respect for really overmuch power we transportation astir successful our pockets.

Also: If your USB-C instrumentality isn't charging, here's nan speedy hole I ever see first

Make nary mistake, a faulty lithium-ion artillery is incredibly dangerous, and it can explode. And erstwhile I opportunity explode, I don't mean nan mini popular of a statement popper (although immoderate do spell disconnected successful precisely that way). An angry artillery battalion tin spell disconnected pinch a heavy-duty bang, and it has capable power to shatter nan instrumentality wrapped astir it, creating a ablution of shrapnel.

But a bang and nan resulting shrapnel isn't each you request to interest about, because chances are that you will besides find yourself successful nan mediate of a spray of molten lithium metallic and a thick, acrid unreality of choking toxic fumes.

And this enthusiastic chemic guidance is astir apt not going to hap erstwhile you're outdoors, surrounded by caller air, distant from combustible materials, and erstwhile you person a occurrence extinguisher adjacent to hand. Oh no, it's going to hap erstwhile you slightest expect it. Maybe erstwhile nan instrumentality is each snugged up successful your pocket, aliases erstwhile it's connected complaint successful nan car and you're zipping down nan road astatine 65 mph.

Or erstwhile it's correct adjacent to your caput connected your nightstand -- erstwhile you're accelerated asleep. 

Why do batteries drawback fire?

Again, thankfully, explosions and fires don't hap each that often, but erstwhile things do spell wrong, it's usually down to 1 of nan pursuing 3 reasons:

1. Manufacturing defects

A bad batch of batteries, a problem connected nan assembly statement that caused a constituent to beryllium damaged, aliases nan usage of nan incorrect components tin each origin devices to fail.

Interestingly, while nan media is speedy to blasted manufacturing problems for instrumentality fires and recalls, it's really beautiful uncommon acknowledgment to nan myriad of information checks that reputable manufacturers transportation out.

Also: I trial dozens of phones each year: How nan iPhone stacks up to Google and Samsung's best

2. Flawed creation and counterfeit products

You usually only spot this pinch cheap, poorly made devices. Some of these are made by manufacturers who don't cognize what they are doing, and others are made by firms that are intelligibly cutting corners. Unfortunately, this worldly is flooding celebrated online outlets, and it tin beryllium difficult for nan mean personification to show nan quality betwixt a well-made merchandise and a poorly made 1 because galore times nan devices characteristic clone regulatory markings.

Many of nan inexpensive and counterfeit products don't incorporate information features that products from reputable makers person built into them.

3. Products damaged successful use

End users are nan astir communal logic why products go unsafe. Throwing devices about, getting them wet, charging them pinch nan incorrect charger, and leaving them to cook successful nan sun are each bad ideas.

Also: I changed these 7 settings connected my Samsung telephone to widen nan artillery life by hours

Quality devices will see information features to protect against overheating, overcharging, being discharged excessively much, short-circuiting, and being recharged pinch nan incorrect charger. Although these features activity to forestall damaged devices from becoming unsafe, thing is foolproof.

What tin you do to protect your family from nan dangers?

I don't expect you to person entree to thousands of dollars of trial equipment; nan truth is that you tin spot astir dangers without it. In fact, I usually place astir 90% of unsafe products pinch conscionable a ocular inspection.

By pursuing a fewer elemental rules, you practically destruct each nan communal causes of occurrence and explosion.

1. Buy named-brand products from reputable retailers. Yes, you mightiness beryllium paying a fewer dollars much for a good-quality charger, cable, aliases powerfulness bank, but this is your life and nan lives of your family members that we're talking about. Avoid too-good-to-be-true deals, societal media deals, and shady marketplace sellers. If you fishy you've purchased a cheap, poor-quality device, extremity utilizing it.
2. If a instrumentality is damaged successful immoderate measurement aliases showing immoderate signs of overheating, swelling, aliases deformation, extremity utilizing it. This goes for chargers and cords (even frayed charging cords tin beryllium dangerous). I urge checking devices yearly and replacing damaged items promptly.
3. Don't let devices to get excessively hot, particularly erstwhile charging. Don't complaint a smartphone successful your pouch aliases sports bag, and don't time off it connected nan dash of your car baking successful nan sun.
4. Don't time off a charging instrumentality unattended. OK, astir of america do that, truthful astatine nan very minimum, I urge you don't put charging items connected aliases adjacent flammable objects. A mini lithium artillery tin quickly move a woody array aliases portion of chamber furnishings into an inferno.
5. If you find retired that a instrumentality has been recalled, travel nan proposal given. Don't beryllium 1 of those group who deliberation they tin outsmart safety.
6. If successful immoderate doubt, activity master advice.

Also: I monitored my location pinch 3 useful devices to find its worst powerfulness hogs (and they're easy to use)

Do not underestimate really quickly a lithium-polymer artillery tin drawback occurrence and really vulnerable they tin be. Below are a fewer videos showing conscionable really bad it tin get:

What should you do successful nan arena of a fire?

And if you are unlucky capable to look a burning electrical device:

• DO NOT THROW WATER ON THE FIRE! That will make matters overmuch worse and tin origin further fires. Use only a suitable occurrence extinguisher aliases fire blanket. 
• Evacuate nan building.
• Try to debar breathing successful nan fumes.
• Call nan occurrence department. Don't beryllium stupid aliases effort to beryllium a hero. 
• Seek aesculapian attraction for immoderate injuries, nary matter really small.

I want to reiterate that physics devices are, connected nan whole, highly safe and not thing you should suffer slumber over. By buying a known marque sanction from a reputable outlet, and taking attraction not to maltreatment aliases harm that device, you're very improbable to person immoderate problems astatine all.