Low-quality products could be behind increased number of lithium-ion battery fires in NSW

Mr Shi was at the time running his e-bike company through a warehouse in Croydon in Sydney's inner west with about 500 bikes inside.He tried to put out the blaze himself, but the smoke was too much. He called triple-0, with firefighters arriving on the scene 10 minutes later, he recalled."You just wait. You can't do anything — wait for to destroy everything."

Adam Best says thermal runaway is when materials inside the battery turn into a gas, creating enough pressure for an explosion.FRNSW Acting Superintendent Mathew Sigmund said that the larger lithium-ion batteries found in e-bikes and e-scooters "can come with more potential risk of faster, more aggressive fire activity".

Dr Best recommended, to avoid a battery going into thermal runaway, to not charge a product in direct sunlight or when it's become too hot.Some early signs of a thermal runaway include a hissing noise, liquid coming out, or if parts of the product are starting to melt.Dr Best said, if possible, dump the product in water. But, if smoke is already coming from the battery, leave the space and call triple-0.

Dr Best says when a lithium-ion battery goes into thermal runaway, the cause isn't typically the battery's quality, but the quality of the product it's in. "What we do encourage consumers to do is not necessarily buy the cheapest product think about making sure you've always got produce provided chargers and charging cables."NSW Energy Minister Penny Sharpe said this week that the state government was in talks with the federal government to strengthen laws surrounding lithium-ion batteries.

ACCC deputy chair Catriona Lowe says the commission is wishing to see a "nationally consistent framework" for lithium-ion batteries."This is why it is incredibly important that the regulatory frameworks adequately respond to what are going to become more and more common products, particularly as we move through our transition to net zero," she said.

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