X-ray scans reveal the hidden risks of cheap batteries

An e-bike artillery featuring respective smaller 18650 lithium-ion artillery cells packed inside. | Image: Lumafield

Lumafield has released the results of a caller study of lithium-ion batteries that “reveals an tremendous spread successful prime betwixt brand-name batteries and low-cost cells” that are readily disposable done online stores including Amazon and Temu. The institution utilized its computed tomography (CT) scanners, susceptible of peering wrong objects successful 3D utilizing X-rays, to analyse implicit 1,000 lithium-ion batteries. It recovered unsafe manufacturing defects successful low-cost and counterfeit batteries that could perchance pb to fires and explosions.

The survey tested 18650 lithium-ion artillery cells, which are utilized successful assorted products including electrical toothbrushes, powerfulness tools, e-bikes, powerfulness banks, and adjacent electrical cars. The batteries were purchased from 10 antithetic brands: 3 OEMs, including Samsung and Panasonic, sourced from “highly reviewed, specialized suppliers,” 3 vendors selling rewraps (typically OEM batteries with their integrative outer wrapping replaced) sourced from “specialized artillery sites” oregon the brand’s ain web stores, and 4 companies selling low-cost oregon counterfeit batteries sourced from “large, wide online retailers specified arsenic Temu.”

Lumafield scanned 1,054 batteries – astir 100 from each marque – and recovered 33 of them had a superior manufacturing defect known arsenic antagonistic anode overhang. The defect “significantly increases the hazard of interior short-circuiting and artillery fires” and tin trim the wide beingness of the battery,” according to Lumafield. All 33 of the batteries with the defects came from the 424 sold by low-cost brands oregon brands selling counterfeits. One of the counterfeits was identified by its pinkish wrapper designed to lucifer the 1 Samsung uses connected its 30Q cells. Other low-cost brands claimed capacities of 9,900 mAh portion brand-name 18650 batteries person capacities successful the scope of 3,000-3,450 mAh. Not lone were the counterfeits’ specs overinflated, but successful real-world investigating Lumafield recovered their capacities were little than 1,300 mAh.

When taking lone low-cost/counterfeit batteries into consideration, there’s astir an 8 percent accidental they could person the unsafe antagonistic anode overhang defect, based connected Lumafield’s findings. For 2 of the counterfeit brands that were reporting intolerable specs, the percent of tested batteries from those brands that were recovered to person the defect were adjacent higher – upwards of 12 and 15 percent. None of the sanction marque OEM batteries were recovered to person immoderate problems, and portion determination was immoderate deviation successful anode overhang for rewrap batteries, the deviations were 7 times worse for the low-end cells.

When looking astatine different indicators of physique quality, each of the batteries from the low-cost brands besides had overmuch worse borderline alignment of their interior coiled layers than those made by reputable OEMs, expanding the hazard of abbreviated circuits and show loss.

Defects similar antagonistic anode overhang and atrocious borderline alignment don’t mean an affected artillery is guaranteed to detonate oregon drawback fire, but they tin summation the hazard of those incidents occurring, peculiarly erstwhile combined with different factors specified arsenic being near successful a blistery car oregon an accidental driblet causing further damage.

The results of Lumafield’s survey suggest that batteries from reputable OEMs similar Samsung, Panasonic, and Murata are safer and much reliable. And portion rewrap batteries fared good successful Lumafield’s test, their replaced wrapping makes it hard to cognize precisely wherever they’ve been sourced which increases risks owed to a imaginable deficiency of prime power successful proviso concatenation management. 

Not everyone has entree to an X-ray CT instrumentality to trial the prime of the cells successful each battery-powered instrumentality they purchase, but the survey is simply a reminder that purchasing devices from reputable brands tin summation the chances that their batteries are escaped of unsafe manufacturing defects. Trying to prevention wealth with less-known brands could extremity up costing you a batch much successful the agelong run.