Home Apps & Gadgets Do Batteries Ever Explode?

Do Batteries Ever Explode?

by Cameron P. Walker

This is actually a pretty complex question to answer. There is indeed a short answer – no, batteries are not explosive. However, many people still think that they are and (correctly, as it happens) are incredibly careful of storing batteries properly, keeping them out of reach of children, keeping them away from heat, and so on.

This shows that the public are still pretty switched on about battery safety, and this is because it is still important to be. Amid all the dangers that do exist with batteries, it is easy to see how many people hold on to the myth that they can explode.

Another reason why this myth persists is that batteries are everywhere and come in such a variety that it is nigh on impossible to know the full safety measures that should be taken with every one of them. For example, there are the USB C rechargeable AA smart batteries used around the home, and then there are the massive batteries found inside electric cars or the battery which goes inside your lawn mower.

These are typically of quite distinct kinds – lithium, alkaline, cadmium-nickel, and so on. Therefore, batteries are made up of different chemicals and it is perfectly possible to find two items that, while both certainly batteries, contain a completely different set of chemicals inside. It would take a qualified chemist to be sure that none of these chemicals would explode when exposed to heat, cold, or other chemicals. And so, the exploding battery myth goes on.

The Advancement of Battery Safety

Of course, though, battery safety does not just mean the regulations for safely using or storing batteries. It also means that safety measures that are put in place by manufacturers to make batteries as safe as possible. Just like in any other area of technology, battery safety technology is advancing, and today’s batteries are safer than they have ever been. Pale Blue Earth, a company out of Park City, Utah, and who are on the forefront of new battery technology, say that safety measures for battery technology – as well as battery technology itself – is more complex and effective than it has ever been.

We might look at the rise of the electric car to see how battery safety technology has developed. These are massive batteries containing a high mass of chemicals and contained with fast-moving and incredibly powerful machines. The image of a burning car is something we’re all familiar with from our news screens, so electric car owners might be the wariest of all when it comes to battery safety.

But they needn’t be. Electric cars are much safer than the older gas-powered ones, simply because they don’t contain great quantities of flammable gasoline. In a crash, for example, the damage is likely to only disconnect the battery – not to blow it up like with a gas engine. Минимальные и максимальные суммы перевода аналогичны ситуации с банковскими mosbet За первое пополнение на бонусный счет добавляются 200% от внесенной суммы

Fire Hazard

This point of flammability, however, is important to note. Batteries will not explode, but they can catch, or cause, a fire. This occurs only if they are punctured, and certain flammable chemicals leak out where they can then be exposed to ignition. Importantly, this cannot happen when the battery is not punctured and leaking chemicals. Therefore, it’s worth repeating the point – no, batteries do not explode!

Yet it is precisely this idea of spontaneous combustion many are wary of when it comes to battery safety. The image of a battery on fire – just on account of the energy going through it – is hard to dispel. Nevertheless, dispel it we should, and chill out we should. Yes, we should be careful with batteries, but certainly not because they are potential bombs.

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