Due to concerns I have had involving Lithium Ion batteries, I have done some research on the issue. As you know, Dell has recalled some batteries and Sony has recalled some 9 million batteries, due to contamination of battery cells while being manufactured. This is a serious problem, as Lithium is a metal product and can burn at 1000 degrees farenheit. Thats hot. If you ever see your laptop smoking, call the fire department immediately and tell them that your lithium battery has caught fire, as there are only several chemicals that will help control the fire. Lithium is a near metal to magnesium. Magnesium will burn under water until all the magnesium has burned away. Volkswagen had a magnesium in their blocks in the VW bugs for a number of years and when they caught fire, they would burn and burn. That has been eliminated now. This should be a serious concern to all of us that use laptops almost every day.
You can go to PCPitstop.com and get additional information on this event. They have researched it well and have a video you can watch as to he progression of the Lithium Iom burn. Below was copied and pasted from PC Pitstop.
Li-Ion Technology is unstable
By its very nature, Li-Ion technology always has some probability of providing unstable and uncontrollable
results. Due to this concern, most portables are designed with two protection circuits, one in the battery
and the other in the notebook. In Dell's case, Sony's manufacturing problems increased the probability that the
battery would explode, and at least one of the protection circuits would have had to have failed.
The point is that all portables with Li-Ion batteries have some chance of exploding. The question is how
well does the computer respond to the danger. Li-Ion batteries are used today in almost all portables, not
just in Dell and Apple, and therefore the risks are industry wide. I fully expect other portable manufacturers
such as HP, IBM and Gateway to announce similar recall programs.
Buy Batteries from the Manufacturer
Aside from the instability issues, Li-Ion has another large drawback. Li-Ion batteries have a limited shelf life
which most industry vets estimate to be around 2 years. That is, if you purchase a computer that has been
sitting on the retail shelf for a year, your battery will only last a year once it is in your hands.
The ramification is that there is now a healthy aftermarket for Li-Ion batteries.
Stay away from these batteries and buy from the manufacturer. Although you might save a few bucks, you are
voiding your warranty and increasing the risk your battery explodes. In some cases, I have heard that certain
third party batteries have omitted the protection circuit to save cost.
Only Use the Battery When on Battery Power
Did you know that when plugged into the wall, you can remove the battery entirely from your portable? The
only benefit to having the battery in the PC with AC power, is in the event of a power shortage, your portable
has an alternate energy source. If you pull the battery out of your notebook, you eliminate the probability of
the battery exploding, and your notebook is a little lighter too.
Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.