REPORT: Lithium ion batteries could be banned from airplanes
Some of the largest pieces of the puzzle that need to be expanded before electric cars are seriously ready to take the place of gas-powered cars and trucks in the majority of driveways around the world have to do with batteries. The latest technology that offers a glimmer of hope for the future of zero-emission motoring is the lithium ion battery, but it's not without its problems.
In fact, the Air Line Pilots Association has gone so far as to call for a ban on the shipment of all lithium ion batteries in both passenger and cargo planes. That doesn't mean the airplanes themselves cannot use the batteries, it means the units themselves may not even be allowed on board. The problem stems from a series of incidents where lithium ion batteries either caught fire, bellowed smoke, showered sparks or burned passengers.
Green Car Advisor notes that the FAA has recorded six fires on board passenger and cargo jets linked to lithium-based batteries since March of last year. While that's a very small number considering how many flights have taken place in that time frame, it may be significant enough to pose a safety threat. It seems distinctly possible that legislation will be drafted in the near future regulating the use or shipment of lithium ion batteries on airplanes.
[Source: Green Car Advisor | Photo: lrargerich CC 2.0]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
mike 12:00PM (8/28/2009)
Yeah... that will work well.
So.. you are welcome to travel but forget taking a laptop or a modern digital camera or a cell phone with you.
It would make the planes very safe if we just parked them and did not try to make them fly any more at all.
I'm all for increases safety but to just ban such a common item would be beyond ridiculous.
I must be confused in my reading of this altogether, I think.
As to say no lithium ion batteries... might as well be telling people they aren't allowed to bring ..... well... hell... I can't think of anything quite as stupid.
Reply
ericloewe 12:19PM (8/28/2009)
Let's see what wouldn't be allowed on board: Cell phones, Laptops, some cameras, portable gaming systems and everything that can be recharged basically. Nah, nobody's going to ban this.
Reply
why not the LS2LS7? 12:24PM (8/28/2009)
This article seems to say shipment would be banned. Banning Lions in the passenger compartment is basically impossible.
Six fires does seem like peanuts.
Reply
Nicholas 12:34PM (8/28/2009)
This is just totally bizarre. banning Li-ion onboard would make a lot of people stranded because it's used in so many applications. As you guys mentioned before: toothbrushes, cameras, laptops, mp3-players...etc.
I smell a rat.
Reply
wincros 12:33PM (8/28/2009)
Really? They are going to ban all news photography equipment? They are going to ban computers for all those corporate executives and sales types? They are going to ban National Geographic?
Uninstalled batteries have already been restricted because of the possibility of fire related to the terminals being shorted out. It might be informative to know whether the fires are the result of uninstalled batteries that were not caught by security.
Reply
meg 12:43PM (8/28/2009)
Tell you what, FAA, I'll make sure my battery weighs less than 3oz, and i'll keep it in a clear plastic bag. Oui?
Reply
Ray 12:43PM (8/28/2009)
This article seems to be indicating shipping of lithium ion batteries not using them. In the future maybe the battery management systems will have to be shipped intact with the batteries this way thermal runaway can be monitored and delt with.
Please just start mass producing them here in the US so we do not have to worry about shipping them.
Reply
Zeph 1:42PM (8/28/2009)
Let's think about this for a moment. The planes themselves can use Li-Ion as part of the hardware, yet it can't be carried as cargo? Hahahaha ("In fact, the Air Line Pilots Association has gone so far as to call for a ban on the shipment of all lithium ion batteries in both passenger and cargo planes. That doesn't mean the airplanes themselves cannot use the batteries, it means the units themselves may not even be allowed on board.")
My take: the old energy economy, flush with cash but low on scruples, is throwing a spanner in the works of the new energy economy, attempting to give the idea li-Ion is unsafe and dificultating distribution. This is clearly a fabrication, a conspiracy, because li-Ion is pervasive, to the point that, if you think about it, we all see thousands of them a day and I would hazzard a guess that nobody has ever seen one explode or ignite by itself. Which is not the same as saying that nobody will post and say they did, there is a lot of organised disinformation out there. Or, to say it how it is, a lot of people are lieing about these issues.
I am open to the possibility that I am wrong though, so I look forward to hearing the thousands of cases of exploding batteries... but in the interest of honesty it would be nice to hear from people, like me, who have never seen an exploding li-Ion battery. If this were a real problem due to the amount of units out there, it would be an apparent problem. But all I see is second hand accounts and very public incidents which don't have a correspondence in day to day life, which makes me think they're fabricated. Humans are manipulated through perception, always have been, and it's now time to wake up to the lies.
Reply
wisi 1:44PM (8/28/2009)
Well, so I'm happy I got my 96 20Ah cells from Japan on time :-)
I don't know anyway why anybody not in a ridiculous hurry (like me) might ship Li-Ion Batteries via air freight...
Those 73kg cost $1500 as they are already classified as dangerous goods today.
Reply
xenogears728 2:17PM (8/28/2009)
Probably the easiest solution would be for airlines to charge you to store these items for you. Using special sealed fireproof containers. All insured of course...
Reply
Marc-O 3:17PM (8/28/2009)
Well, looking at perhaps regulating large shipments of Li-Ion batteries by air does seem appropriate - they can be really hazardous goods, especially in an airtight cabin... I don't think anyone is talking about forbidding passengers from boarding planes with consumer goods using Li-Ion batteries, though...
As a sidenote, if you're talking about smoke, it's "billow", not "bellow"... ;)
Reply
mike 9:01AM (8/29/2009)
But they would be equally dangerous on a ship.
So what we are really talking about is anti trade legislation in the guise of safety regulation.
Because if I can't bring them by plane or by ship... then I am making them someplace I can drive from.
Marc-O 3:21AM (8/31/2009)
Mike:
They'd be dangerous on a ship, but very far from how dangerous they are on a plane. You can afford heavy firefighting equipment on a huge boat, you can stop navigating and focus on putting the fire out with a lot of manpower, you don't have to worry about a small, airtight pressure vessel filling up with smoke, etc. A runaway fire inside a plane cabin/cargo hold is almost always fatal, whereas fires on cargo ships are much easier to deal with, and pretty common...
Ryan 4:22PM (8/28/2009)
As it is right now, all Li-Ion batteries shipped internationally must pass a series of "transport tests" to ensure they are safe to be shipped as air freight. These tests include rolling the loose batteries around in a drum and hitting them with hammers and putting them in high ambient temperatures, etc. For the most part all of the cells should be fairly safe AS-IS since each one contains a CID or current interruptor device, and if the cell were to short then it will quickly open this protective device and prevent an explosion or fire. The problem comes from using (and shipping) unregulated batteries that are produced by shady or new manufacturers without the experience and knowledge of CIDs and other protection mechanisms (like recessing the contacts of a battery pack). I think instead of banning Li-Ion cells altogether, there will likely be tighter regulations on both the cells and the packs that are built with those cells.
And air freight is important when development is being done in countries other than Japan and that's (mostly) the only place to get your cells. A123, Boston Power, MOLI, and a smattering of others need to get it together and ramp up US production.
Reply
Chris M 6:59PM (8/28/2009)
I'm betting that every one of those "6 incidents" were involving laptops or cell phone or some other portable electronic device, and in most cases the batteries had already been recalled for manufacturing defects.
I doubt that any of those "6 incidents" involved a large automotive sized LiIon battery pack, or any kind of battery larger than a laptop battery.
Reply
smartacus 9:13PM (8/28/2009)
No this is not about shipping or transporting lithium ion batteries at all, it is about you, Joe Carryon carrying them with you onboard (they mention bellowed smoke and passengers getting burned remember.
ALPA is de facto targeting cell phones, pda's, and laptops specifically. Guess they are tired of stranded passengers calling 911 from the runway. Not one single traveler will part with their communication ; ergo, less people will be flying? Less pilots earning?
Round 2: They will regrant you your right to carry very limited quantities of Li-ion batteries in phones , lappies, smartbooks but your DSLR's li-ions will be confiscated (excuse me, i mean voluntarily surrendered because it's a bigger hazmat than lighter fluid and sunblock)
You will be only too happy to have your right to cellphones and computers restored that you will happily forget and forgo your right to cameras.
i am dying to hear other AOPA'ers opinions on how ALPA is turning into ALPO.
Reply
mike 9:02AM (8/29/2009)
I bet in the end you will be able to carry any li-ion batteried device you want for a small "safety enhancement fee" of around $10 each or so to start.
Spec 3:19AM (8/29/2009)
Time to move away from the lithium-cobalt batteries that are the cause of all these problems. Lithium-Iron-Phosphate doesn't have this problem . . . it is not as energy dense but much safer. And longer lasting.
Reply
Roy 12:10PM (8/29/2009)
Spec, Lithium-Iron-Phosphate batteries are a type of Lithium-ion battery. I do agree they are safer.
I would like to know a lot more about those 6 incidents of fire. Were they loose and the terminals shorted? Were they old/cheap batteries designed before newer better packaging was developed (more than 5 years). Were they being charged in a poorly designed charger that overcharged the batteries. These are the most likely reasons for battery fires.
I am not sure of the best approach, but it is not reasonable to ban all batteries just because some were not being cared for properly.
Reply