When a Single Overheating Lithium Battery Causes Devastating Scenes: This is Why Lithium Batteries Are So Dangerous
The aviation industry learned the hard way about the true dangers of lithium batteries within the last two decades. But despite strict regulations, they still cause scary scenes on commercial flights. The Japan Airlines 787 involved in the lithium battery fire of 2013; Source: Wikipedia January 7, 2013 didn’t start well for Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner. While parked at Boston Logan International, a Japan Airlines aircraft caught fire — luckily, nobody was injured and fire crews were able to fight the rapidly spreading blaze. Half a year later, an Ethiopian Airlines 787 caught fire at London Heathrow — nobody was on board. Those were just two of several fires on board new 787 Dreamliners that eventually grounded the world’s entire fleet. And the cause? Lithium batteries. On the Japan Airlines aircraft, batteries of the auxiliary power unit (APU), which provides power while the engines are turned off, caught fire. In the case of Ethiopian Airlines, it was an emergency locator used wh
