Abstract:

When a company's lithium-ion batteries have been found to cause numerous fires, not only the battery quality, but also the company's design, manufacturing, and testing qualifications come into question. Through a case study, this work demonstrates how a widely accessible lithium-ion battery, available in online outlets has defects, lacks sufficient protection mechanisms, and is generally at risk of being unsafe using various non-destructive methods. Company information was collected from the National Enterprise Credit Information Publicity System in China, the United States Patent and Trademark Office, and site visits. Through the investigation, it was found that the company is only a shell company with no design or manufacturing abilities. Based on the analysis, recommendations for the selection of batteries are provided, including supply chain analysis, testing, and teardown characterization.

This article is available for free online here.