Quantifying the Fire Hazard from Li-Ion Battery Fires Caused by Thermal Runaway in E-scooters

Over the last 20 or so years, lithium-ion battery (LiB) powered devices have infiltrated our day to day lives through the devices that rely on them for energy storage including phones, cordless tools, toys, wristwatches, and vehicles. With the meteoric rise in popularity of LiBs in society, failures due to misuse, mishandling, or a poor understanding of necessary safety features may be expected. This study quantifies the fire hazard of a seated E-scooter with a LiB in thermal runaway during overcharging. Heat release rate (HRR) was measured for LiB battery in isolation and subsequently installed in an E-scooter to determine the battery’s contribution compared to the complete device. Two scenarios were evaluated to assess the hazard an E-scooter may pose in a residential scale building: an overcharging E-scooter in a closed bedroom and an overcharging E-scooter in a common living-kitchen area. The results of this study clearly demonstrates the extreme hazard posed by an overcharging E-scooter to the occupants.