The Battery That Refuses to Explode | NOVA
Why Hacker News recommends it
Cited repeatedly as a quick visual demonstration that solid-state or polymer batteries can survive abuse without igniting.
What it is
A short NOVA excerpt in which David Pogue abuses a Tufts-developed battery by cutting and damaging it, and it keeps working without catching fire. It comes from the documentary 'Search for the Super Battery'.
Recommended by 0 HN commenters across 0 different months, 2017 to 2024.
What Hacker News said
Cites rpedela · 2017-02 · on “Wind and solar power are disrupting electricity systems”
Yeah a lithium-ion battery that doesn't catch fire and may be able to double energy density from PBS Nova [1] though I don't think the clip talks about energy density. 1. [this video]
Cites rpedela · 2017-12 · on “How Long Before Sodium Batteries Are Worth Their Salt?”
Yes, but the reason for fire is the liquid electrolyte. Lithium batteries don't have to catch fire. A short clip from PBS Nova: [this video]
Cites clouddrover · 2019-01 · on “Before the Electric Car Takes Over, Someone Needs to Reinvent the Battery”
Why settle for mediocre batteries? EV battery packs are still catching on fire in scenarios where they shouldn't have: [LINK] We can do better on batteries and solid-state batteries are clearly safer: [this video]
Cites clouddrover · 2019-03 · on “Germany's car industry faces a perfect storm”
The next step for batteries is making solid-state batteries work commercially for their superior energy density and safety: [this video] 24M has developed what they call a semi-solid-state battery and have delivered batteries with a capacity of 280 wh per kilogram: [LINK] They think they can get to 350 wh/kg by 2020, which is a dramatic improvement over current EV batteries.
Cites wlesieutre · 2019-06 · on “A Glass Battery That Keeps Getting Better?”
The really important bit, comparison to lithium ion: >She did say that large battery banks that might be spun off from this research stand to not only have higher capacity, but also be substantially lighter than lithium ions. Although, she adds, perhaps the greatest weight savings will come not from comparing one battery cell's mass with another. “The biggest difference would be that you don’t have to have the same stainless steel bunkers in each of the cells,” she says. Not flammable is a big deal in battery tech. We try to pack more and more energy into smaller and smaller cells, so continuing to improve the capacity makes inadvertently releasing all that energy even more dangerous. Here's
Cites clouddrover · 2020-11 · on “First Responders Unprepared for Electric Vehicle Fires: Report”
> emergency crews can spray water on the battery Here's what happens when you spray water on the battery: [LINK] > every battery cell could have a built in discharge circuit A better idea is solid state batteries. They can be damaged without catching on fire: [this video] [LINK] And explosive fuses can be used to disconnect the battery automatically after a crash: [LINK]
Cites clouddrover · 2023-07 · on “Nio to start deliveries of 150-kWh WeLion semi-solid-state batteries in July”
Yes. An example is a bullet test of ProLogium's solid state battery: [LINK] Another example is a scissor test of Ionic Maerials' sold state battery: [this video]
Cites clouddrover · 2023-07 · on “With the 745-Mile Solid-State Battery, Toyota Just Became a Force to Reckon With”
Solid state batteries tend to be safer than other batteries. Here is ProLogium's solid state battery failing to fail after it's been shot with a bullet: [LINK] Here is Ionic Materials' solid state battery failing to fail after it's been cut with scissors: [this video]