LITHIUM BATTERIES latest safety advice

Marine engineer and surveyor Marcus Jones unpicks the confusion surrounding the use of lithium batteries and what you should consider if installing them on board your boat

- MARCUS JONES

The lithium-ion battery has enabled so much of the portable tech we take for granted today, from laptops, mobile phones, small VHF handheld radios, portable GPS, to electric cars and bikes.

But these powerful energy storage devices carry new safety risks, which are only now starting to appear, requiring us to draw up clear installation standards, rather than the confusing standards and guidelines from multiple flag states and classification societies we've had thus far. So let's try to clear up some of the confusion about lithium batteries in marine applications and explain the safety challenges that need to be understood to make things safer.

What is a lithium-ion battery?

This is the first thing that needs clearing up. The term lithium-ion is a generic term used to describe all the various chemistry types available, such as lithium nickel manganese cobalt (NMC), lithium ferro phosphate (LFP), and all the others. Lithium-ion is not a battery chemistry in itself at all. It simply refers to rechargeable batteries that carry a charge via lithium ions in their cells' electrochemical operation. Sometimes lithium-ion battery is abbreviated to LiB.

How does a lithium-ion work?