Carlsbad [California] start-up Amionx said Tuesday that it has launched new technology aimed at making lithium ion batteries safer by shutting down faulty cells before they catch fire.
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The start-up calls its patented technology Safe Core. It recently spun out of American Lithium Energy, a long-time supplier of rugged, next generation batteries to the military.
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Amionx hopes to license the technology for use in rechargeable lithium ion batteries, which power billions of electronic gadgets ranging from cellphones to laptops to electric cars.
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The company said Safe Core acts like a fuse that kills battery cells when they get too hot or exceed current/voltage thresholds. That typically occurs from physical damage, internal shorts, overcharging or exposure to high temperatures.
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Our proprietary Safe Core technology is a transformative technology in an industry where, over the past 20 years, there have been only incremental advances, said Jiang Fan, chief technology officer of Amionx and co-founder of American Lithium Energy.
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The technology itself was developed through U.S. Army funded programs to create batteries that won’t explode even when hit by gunfire from high-powered military rifles.
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Though relatively infrequent, lithium battery fires have made headlines recently. On Friday, a house fire in Harrisburg, Penn., killed a 3-year-old girl, and officials linked the cause to a hover board that exploded into flames while recharging.
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The U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission has warned consumers to stop using hover boards made by certain manufacturers because of the fire risk.
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Last summer, Samsung recalled more than 3 million Galaxy Note 7 smartphones after reports that some phones were overheating and catching fire. U.S. airlines banned passengers from bringing Galaxy Note 7s on-board. The South Korean electronics giant estimates the recall will cost it at least $5.3 billion.
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According to Amionx, current battery safety techniques take a layered outside-in approach to prevent overheating, including hardened shells with fire retardant…