Lithium Battery Fires on the Rise in Taiwan
Taiwan is trying to tackle the problem of lithium battery fires -- with few standards in place to help it get the problem under control.
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00:00Since 2020, Taiwan has seen around 100 fires every year that began with an exploding lithium
00:05battery.
00:06Though prolonged charging or physical damage are often to blame, these explosions can appear
00:10spontaneous.
00:12The fires they cause can spread violently out of control in seconds, and are occasionally
00:16deadly.
00:17But getting this problem under control has so far been tricky.
00:21The issues begin in the factories where these batteries are made and stored.
00:25In Taiwan, factories have to declare lithium batteries as a hazardous item if there are
00:29enough of them in one place.
00:31But there have been problems with enforcing rules on dangerous materials in factories
00:35here.
00:36And in the case of lithium batteries, there are exemptions, too.
00:39As for standards for safe storage and how to respond when a fire does break out, there
00:44aren't any, something that troubles fire safety experts.
00:59But consumers also need to learn how to handle lithium batteries safely, especially as they're
01:07used in a growing number of products, from handheld fans and phone chargers to cars.
01:12Safety tips include avoiding charging batteries overnight or throwing them in a trash can.
01:29This growing fire risk has been felt most acutely by Taiwan's fire departments.
01:44Fires in electric vehicles are especially hard to put out.
01:47Studies show up to 75 tons of water, enough to fill more than 30 Olympic-sized swimming
01:51pools, may be needed just for an ordinary car.
01:54And the risks lithium batteries themselves pose to firefighters are immense.
01:58The fire reaction is very intense.
02:01Secondly, it produces a lot of heat, a lot of toxic gas, and it produces hydrogen.
02:08So it basically doesn't need external oxygen to attack, and it will continue to expand.
02:12Taipei has experimented with a range of gadgets, including remote sprinkler systems that can
02:16fit under burning cars and mobile fire hydrants.
02:19In rural Taitung County, meanwhile, firefighters are exploring the idea of dunking burning
02:23vehicles in makeshift pools assembled from waterproof panels.
02:28But as in factories, standard responses are lacking, putting people at risk as lithium
02:33batteries become more and more a part of daily life.
02:36Chris Ma and John Ventriest for Taiwan Plus.