Beyond consumer electronics, lithium-ion batteries are also growing in popularity for military, battery electric vehicle, and aerospace applications.
The batteries are becoming a common replacement for the lead–acid batteries that have been used historically for golf carts and utility vehicles. Instead of heavy lead plates and acid electrolyte, the trend is to use lightweight lithium-ion battery packs that can provide the same voltage as lead-acid batteries, so no modification to the vehicle’s drive system is required.
Chemistry, performance, cost and safety characteristics vary across lithium-ion battery types. Handheld electronics mostly use batteries based on lithium cobalt oxide which offers high energy density, but presents safety risks, especially when damaged.
Lithium-ion batteries can be dangerous under some conditions and can pose a safety hazard since they, unlike other rechargeable batteries, contain a flammable electrolyte and are kept pressurized.
Because of such risk, the testing standards for these batteries are more stringent than those for acid-electrolyte batteries, requiring both a broader range of test conditions and additional battery-specific tests. It is also in response to reported accidents and failures, and there have been battery-related recalls by some companies, with the latest being that of the four-year-old Dell Inspiron laptop.
Staged.