How Safe Are Li-ion Batteries?

Lithium-Ion batteries are highly successful high energy density portable energy sources used to power consumer devices such as cellphones, e-bikes, hoverboards, laptops, tablets and medical equipment. They are safe if produced with attention paid to the selection of materials and the manufacturing methods used for their production and quality control processes. However, safety hazards arising from rare manufacturing defects have given them notoriety as devices prone to thermal runaway risk and to be handled with utmost care. This manuscript provides an account of a number of safety-related incidents in devices powered by Li-ion batteries, and it discusses the chemistry of Li-ion batteries and the processes used to manufacture and utilize them safely.