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Warning: Exploding Batteries

Posted by timothy on from the and-exploding-and-exploding dept.

batlike writes "It seems I have been quite lucky up to this point as I habitually leave my laptop in the trunk of my car - which is just over the gas tank (duh!) . See this article in InfoWorld by Ephraim Schwartz for details. You may want to give it a once over if you currently use lithium-ion batteries."

1 of 260 comments (clear)

  1. Prismatic lithium ion polymer by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Troll

    I don't know why the worst of these, the Prismatic lithium ion polymer battery, isn't banned. There's so much packed into them that a slight overcharge can lead DIRECTLY to thermal runaway, and they're becoming more and more popular in laptops. What's worse?

    The battery's charging system is under the control of firmware. One dodgy firmware update and you could have a battery on your lap, in your home, on your desk, in your car, suddenly "expire with flame". a subtle way of saying "spray red hot lithium metal all over your legs and genitalia".

    I smell a large, very expensive class action for all manufacturers using these, and unfortunately not until many, many more people are injured or killed.