General questions about lithium batteries

General questions about batteries

With the development and spread of lithium batteries, mobile use of larger amounts of power or electrically powered devices and vehicles became possible at all, because compared to the previously used battery technologies (such as Nickel-Cadmium batteries, briefly NiCd batteries, or lead-acid batteries – both previously quite common battery types), lithium batteries have a multitude of advantages that make them ideal for the mobile provision of power. An overview of the most important advantages of Li-ion batteries

+ - How do you know how many watt hours (Wh) or what power a battery has?

The nominal energy is indicated directly on newer batteries. If this is not the case, the capacity of a battery can be quickly calculated.

Nominal energy in Wh = capacity in Ah x voltage in V.

+ - What packaging is required to ship lithium-ion batteries?

The regulations for shipping are very extensive. National regulations of the BAM (Federal Institute for Materials Management), the GüKG (Road Haulage Act) and the KrWG (Circular Economy Act) apply. The international regulations can be found in the ADR.

These regulations affect all parties involved in the supply chain, including senders (and their clients), shippers, packers, drivers, unloaders and recipients.

Read our blog post with a flowchart on this topic:

https://www.lion-care.com/aktuelles/blog/transportvorschriften-regeln-und-sicherheitsmassnahmen

+ - When is a battery classed as dangerous goods?

The first rough distinction concerns the type of battery. Is it lithium-ion cells or batteries (1), lithium-metal cells or batteries (2) or lithium hybrid cells or batteries (3).

The following is crucial:

the nominal energy in watt hours (Wh)
From a nominal energy value of more than 100 Wh, batteries are classified as class 9 hazardous goods and are subject to the provisions of the ADR.
the lithium content in grams
The limit here is 2g per battery.
Smartphone battery approx. 0.2-0.3g, AA lithium battery approx. 1g, lithium button cells (car keys) or photo batteries e.g. CR2
both the nominal energy in Wh and the lithium content in grams

+ - When does a lithium-ion battery become critically defective?

Unfortunately, there is no general answer to this question. If there is a possibility/risk that a fire or explosion could occur during the transport of a defective or damaged battery, you should choose a transport container that is designed to prevent this.

The classification is usually done by a high-voltage technician.

However, these transports are subject to strict conditions and many regulations. For this purpose, it is imperative to observe the relevant requirements of the ADR.