Charging ahead safely: Confronting the growing risks of electric vehicle lithium-ion batteries

Mike Brodie, MD of Chemstore UK, shares the latest best practice for their safe storage and management.

The rapid shift toward electric vehicles (EVs) across consumer markets, motorsports, and commercial fleets, is transforming the global automotive landscape. At the core of this transition lies lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery technology, offering impressive energy density and performance. But with this innovation comes a serious and growing challenge: safety.

Though Li-ion batteries are powerful, they are also inherently volatile. Under certain conditions, including mechanical damage, overcharging, exposure to heat, or improper storage, these batteries can enter a state known as thermal runaway, which can lead to fires, explosions, and toxic gas release.

As well as presenting a technical problem for engineers, this risk spans vehicle design, manufacturing, transport, storage, service, and disposal. Whether you’re a manufacturer, motorsport team, logistics operator, or facility manager, it’s essential to understand the risks and be prepared. 

EV battery risk is a wide-scale issue

The risks tied to EV batteries extend far beyond the road or racetrack. Every phase of the electric vehicle lifecycle introduces potential hazards:

• Battery manufacturing and testing: Battery production and quality control processes involve high-energy materials and volatile chemistries. 
• Prototype testing: Thermal runaway incidents can occur during prototype assembly or shakedown testing highlighting the need for robust safety protocols in early development stages.
• Onsite storage: As production scales up, the increased volume of batteries stored onsite raises the risk of incidents, making proper storage conditions and effective fire and gas detection systems essential.
• Handling and storage: Improper handling of battery packs, whether during installation, removal, or warehouse storage, can lead to physical damage, short circuits, or undetected internal faults that later cause fires.
• Transportation and logistics: How are EVs moved from factory to showroom? What happens in the event of an accident?
• Parking and storage: Public and private facilities, including car parks and dealerships, may be underprepared. Some are already banning EVs entirely due to fire concerns.
• Servicing and repair: Removed or damaged batteries represent a significantly higher fire risk.
• Post-collision management: Even after an accident, a battery can ignite hours or days later if not properly handled.

Why the risks are increasing

High energy density = high potential for harm

Li-ion batteries store massive amounts of energy in compact spaces. In the wrong conditions, they can behave unpredictably, and a single failure can trigger a cascade of destruction in minutes.

Motorsports: The innovation frontier

Motorsport teams push the boundaries of performance. But extreme temperatures, vibrations, and charging/discharging cycles also amplify the likelihood of failure, turning the racetrack into a high-stakes testing ground for EV battery safety.

Mass adoption means mass exposure

As EVs scale globally, so too do the associated risks. One overlooked safety flaw can affect thousands of vehicles, turning isolated issues into large-scale safety liabilities. Public trust in EVs is hard-won, and easily lost.

Real-world incidents prove the point

In the United Kingdom, lithium-ion battery fires are escalating at a concerning rate. 

According to data from QBE Insurance, UK fire services responded to 1,330 lithium-ion battery fires in 2024, marking a 93% increase from 690 incidents in 2022. This surge spans various applications, including electric vehicles (EVs), e-bikes, and e-scooters.

The safety expectations are clear, and getting stricter

Insurers, regulators, battery manufacturers and safety-conscious organisations now expect robust, proactive protocols. These include:

• Outdoor (ideally), fire-rated (not just fire-resistant) temperature-controlled battery storage units 
• Rapid-response containment tools like fire blankets and extinguishing agents
• Temperature monitoring, gas detection, and thermal cameras
• Strict handling and storage of damaged or removed batteries – best practices dictate damaged batteries should not remain onsite for more than 30 days and must be stored in insulated, fire-rated containers, not just fire-resistant ones

Getting ahead of the problem

Overstating the safety risks of EVs could undermine climate progress but that doesn’t mean we should downplay the risks. We must: 

• Ensure everyone involved with EVs understands the risks
• Design safety systems that assume failures will occur, not that they won't.
• Shift from a reactive to a resilient safety culture

Conclusion: Innovation without safety is irresponsible

The shift to electric vehicles is essential, exciting and irreversible. But with new technology comes new responsibility. EV battery safety is foundational, not optional. Those who lead on safety will lead the industry.

Chemstore is proud to support world-leading vehicle manufacturers, and infrastructure providers with best-in-class, award-winning lithium-ion battery safety solutions. The leaders are already acting. Are you?

Get in touch to find out how Chemstore can help you mitigate risk, reduce liability, and futureproof your operations. For more information, visit www.chemstore.co.uk