Linus Tech Tips Discussion

 Chinese firm turns your EV battery into a grenade launcher Summary Amidst rising concerns about the dangers of EV battery fires and the difficulty of extinguishing them, a Chinese firm has created a system for ejecting lithium batteries from vehicles in the event of a fire. It was originally reported that the system was demonstrated by Joyson Group on the iCar 03T electric SUV at the China Automotive Collision Repair & Technology Research Center - however, both iCar and Joyson Group have released press statements clarifying that neither party had anything to do with the battery ejection system. The intention is to protect passengers of electric vehicles from battery fires or explosions by ejecting the battery a safe distance away.    This now-viral demonstration video was posted to Chinese social media following the September 19th conference. werqfdcferwcds.mp4       Quotes Quote "If sensors detect a thermal event in the pack, the system can trigger an ejection in less than a second, flinging the battery between 3–6 meters (10–20 feet) away from the vehicle." - Carscoops A few users called the demonstration “unbelievable,” and others described it as “the most dangerous safety system ever designed.” - Interestingengineering    My thoughts Though certainly an interesting idea, it's actually far more dangerous to eject the battery from the car in the event of a fire. There is the obvious risk of the flaming several-hundred-pound chunk of lithium striking another moving vehicle on the highway at 100+ km/h - a massive chunk of metal ejected into the road poses a significant hazard to any driver whose vehicle is hit by it. This is a point that several articles bring up - but another huge danger I have not seen mentioned is that an already-failing lithium battery being struck by a vehicle going 100+km/h would almost certainly result in a near-instant explosion of the cells. And, even if it was not struck immediately, skidding along the road surface at high speed could easily breach the battery cells and lead to the same eventual effect - a fireball that now endangers dozens of people.  I'm even more baffled at how this was considered to be a good idea in China of all places, home to several of the world's largest cities. With the levels of traffic congestion on highways in and near urban areas, this is quite possibly the worst idea imaginable.  Imagine if you proposed the idea that the fuel tank should be violently ejected 10+ feet out of a combustion engine vehichle in the event of a crash. Would anyone think that's a good idea? Hell no.    Sources Chinese Company Shows Off System to Eject EV Battery Pack in Event of Fire China’s EV Fire Fix Shoots Battery Into Traffic And Makes It Their Problem | Carscoops China’s