Lithium batteries appear to be safe for automotive use.
Since the early 1990s, lithium batteries have powered laptops and cell phones. In 2010, the need to reduce auto emissions combined with the need for inexpensive renewable energy have caused lithium batteries to be placed in some cars. So far, the environmental safety and overheating problems with lithium batteries that once affected laptops appear to have been contained.
Overheating
Most of the safety concerns about lithium batteries center on the mass recall of laptop batteries in 2006. In that year, an overheating problem caused some batteries literally to burst into flame. The overheating appears to have been caused by a design flaw that allowed small metal fragments left over from the manufacturing process to accumulate in the batteries' electrolyte.
Solutions
In 2006, the same year as the recall, several conferences were held among battery manufacturers to improve design standards. In 2010, scientists at Cambridge University found methods to examine lithium batteries in use more closely using Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. This closer view should allow for further improvements in the function and safety of lithium batteries.
Health and Environment
The corrosive and flammable nature of lithium raises some concerns. Lithium itself is a dangerous substance if dumped in water, and direct human contact with unprotected lithium should be avoided. The same, however, can be said of the substances in most batteries, including those currently used in automobiles.
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