Where batteries go to be tortured: If something can go wrong with lithium-ion cells, better in the 'abuse lab' than in your car

The Sandia National Laboratory in New Mexico houses a research lab that tests the hell out of lithium-ion batteries so that manufacturers can go back to the drawing board and reëngineer their batteries to prevent overcharging, runaway thermal events, and the like—all the better to prevent a future electric or hybrid car from exploding or catching on fire in an accident, for instance.


But it's not just lithium-ion batteries that they test:

In one memorable test a few years back that didn't involve lithium-ion technology, he overcharged a battery made of 48 cells lashed together, then exposed it to sparks. The cells immediately began venting a tremendous cloud of gas and then exploded like fireworks, ricocheting off walls and disintegrating so completely, nothing was left but a thick layer of grit so toxic that cleanup crews had to wear hazmat suits.

His report to the manufacturer was simple, Mr. Roth says: "Back to the drawing board."

As for his test bay? "We put in a steel ceiling after that," he says.

Yikes!