Tag: battery

Vape Battery Air ‘Incidents’ Have Tripled Since 2019

Credit: kamilpetran
The number of e-cigarette battery air incidents has tripled since 2019, reports The Wall Street Journal, citing a U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) database.
Vapes and e-cigarettes were the leading cause for lithium-battery incidents on aircraft in 2022, ahead of those caused by battery packs and laptops. Of the 55 incidents reported through September of last year, vapes and e-cigarettes accounted for 19, which was 35 percent of all incidents in 2022 and triple the incidents reported in all of 2019, the FAA says.
According to the agency, the batteries in these devices can catch fire if damaged or if the battery terminals are short-circuited.
Vapes aren’t allowed in checked luggage, and must be brought in carry-on luggage because of cargo-area fire risks.
The federal government banned smoking on most U.S. flights in 1990. In 2016, the U.S. finalized its ban on e-cigarettes on all domestic commercial flights, as well as on international flights to and from the country.
Passengers should refrain from charging e-cigarettes on a plane and store their device carefully to prevent them from accidentally turning on, according to the FAA. They should transport their vapes in a protective case or remove the battery and place each battery in its own case or plastic bag to prevent a short circuit, the agency says.
Passengers who violate federal vaping laws risk fines up to $1,771.
February 10, 2023
Vape Battery Catches Fire on Air France Flight
Credit: Luke Wunderlich
A passenger was seriously injured on an Air France flight when an e-cigarette caught fire mid-flight, authorities said.
France’s aviation authority, the Bureau of Enquiry and Analysis for Civil Aviation Safety, said on Thursday it had opened an investigation into an incident on board a November 2 Air France flight from Malaga, Spain to Paris, France, according to Insider.
The bureau said one person had been seriously injured after an e-cigarette caused a lithium battery fire as the plane was coming in to land. Cabin crew was able to extinguish the fire using a “dedicated kit.”
Authorities are investigating the incident.
E-cigarettes are allowed on flights by both European and U.S. authorities as long as they are kept in carry-on luggage.
November 19, 2022
Judge Denies LG Chem Exploding Battery Lawsuit

Photo: gangster9686
LG Chem has defeated a lawsuit in Ohio over an exploding e-cigarette battery after a federal judge ruled he has no jurisdiction to oversee the case, reports Law360.
Paul Straight sued the South Korean chemicals company after an e-cigarette purchased at a Vapor Station store in Ohio exploded and burned through his jeans and left thigh. He sustained second and third-degree burns to his thighs and left wrist and now limps as a result of his injuries, according to his lawsuit.
LG Chem maintained it did not authorize Vapor Station to sell single batteries. Rather, they were meant to be used in battery packs for power tools and other products. The company also argued it did not make, sell or distribute the batteries in Ohio.
The judge did not buy Straight’s assertion that the company’s other business in the state was enough for the judge to exercise specific jurisdiction.
“LG Chem in fact has established that it neither earned revenue from the sale or distribution of 18650 cells in Ohio nor advertised or solicited business in Ohio with respect to 18650 cells,” Judge James L. Graham of the Southern District of Ohio wrote.
The case is Paul Straight v. LG Chem Ltd. et al., case number 2:20-cv-06551.
November 12, 2022
Geekvape Fast Charging Technology Passes TÜV Test

Photo: blende11.photo
Shenzhen Geekvape Technology Co.’s Safe Fast Charge technology has passed the rigorous Technischer Überwachungsverein (TÜV) test, the company announced in press note.
Products equipped with the technology guarantee safe rapid charging via USB-C in 15 minutes and an ultra-long battery life, according to Geekvape. Equipped with two connected batteries in series, Geekvape’s Safe Fast Charge technology achieved 96.43 percent charging current and battery capacity after more than 300 rounds of TÜV charging and discharging test—outperforming the international standard of 80 percent. The battery component adopts multi-electrode charging and discharging technology, which well balances the temperature and charging efficiency of the batteries and achieves safe fast charge.
“At Geekvape, we adhere only to the most stringent global safety standards. Our Safe Fast Charge technology has been strictly tested by leading independent parties, including the TÜV and FCC. As a result, we can confidently say we have achieved the world’s first fast-charging e-cigarette technology that is truly safe and durable,” said Siner Kong, the product manager of Geekvape.
With a number of different battery brands on the market, the safety, quality and price of each e-cigarette product can vary dramatically. When manufacturers purchase low-cost batteries that have not been vigorously checked and certified, this may lead to safety hazards, particularly when using high-current fast charging technologies.
To ensure the highest level of protection for its consumers, Geekvape only uses its own built-in batteries in its e-cigarette products. Each Geekvape battery cell undergoes tens of thousands of rounds of rigorous tests, including squeezing, short-circuiting, dropping, overshooting, exposure to high temperature, and vibration. The cell is then strictly checked from the manufacturer’s side, resulting in a truly safe and revolutionary fast charging experience.
In addition to TÜV tests, Geekvape’s Safe Fast Charge technology has passed IEC61960 and ICE62133 global battery safety regulation standards.
September 27, 2021
Courts Pave Way for Samsung Vape Battery Explosion Suit

Photo: 정수 이 from Pixabay
A superior court in California has denied a request by Samsung to dismiss a lawsuit about an exploding e-cigarette lithium-ion battery.
According to the complaint, the plaintiff had purchased the Samsung batteries on the recommendation of an e-cig retailer, and used them without issue until April 14, 2018, when the Samsung battery exploded in his pocket, inflicting second- and third-degree burns on his left leg and genitalia, requiring skin-graft surgery, and leaving him with permanent scarring, discoloration and hyper-sensitivity.
According to the lawsuit, Samsung had known since at least January 2016 that individual consumers were purchasing and using Samsung batteries for use in electronic cigarettes—a use that Samsung allegedly knew would subject consumers to potential harm. Instead of taking meaningful action to limit the risk or remove its batteries from the marketplace, Samsung ignored the problem, resulting in at least 88 cases filed against Samsung for similar battery explosion issues.
Samsung filed a motion for summary judgment/adjudication attempting to dismiss the case, including a request to dismiss claims for punitive damages. The Court denied Samsung’s motion in its entirety, leaving it to the trier of fact to determine not only Samsung’s liability for the harm caused by its batteries, but Samsung’s culpability for punitive damages as well.
“Samsung has known for years that its batteries were being used in e-cigarette products,” said Greg Bentley of Bentley & More, the law firm representing the plaintiff, in a statement. “Instead of getting them off the market, Samsung has taken the greedy path putting profit over safety, evidenced by the huge uptick in sales of just this one model alone—from 14.1 million sales in 2015 to 63.7 million in 2017, and many millions more over the last three years. Enough is enough. We look forward to the jury seeing the evidence and holding Samsung accountable.”
It is believed that this is the first of its kind ruling regarding punitive damages claimed against Samsung involving injuries suffered as a result of an e-cigarette battery explosion.
January 8, 2021
Sony Sued for Exploding E-Cig Battery In New York

On September 24, Bernardino Manuel brought a new product liability action against Sony Corporation in the Southern District of New York. He alleges that the a Sony e-cigarette battery exploded without warning, resulting in severe injuries to the plaintiff as he carried the defendant’s battery in his pocket.
Manuel claimed that the defendant’s battery was made of lithium-ion, which by its chemical makeup is known to pose a heightened risk of “fire and explosion” when used in e-cigarette systems, according to lawstreetmedia. The plaintiff supported this assertion by referencing a “medical case report of a man in New Jersey, whose e-cigarette exploded in his pocket causing him severe burns,” a “California man (who) recently lost his eye as a result of an e-cigarette exploding near him,” and a “Southern California woman (who) was set on fire after an e-cigarette exploded while she was a passenger in a car.”
Manuel also noted that cases like the aforementioned ones in New Jersey and California were only further exacerbated by the federal government’s failure to regulate the devices that power, and only the resulting toxins from, e-cigarettes. For example, the plaintiff averred, in October of 2014, a report was released by the federal government that noted that the Food and Drug Administration, U.S. Fire Administration, nor the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission regulated any aspect of the “battery or electronic components of the devices.”
However, Manuel proffered, despite the government’s refusal to regulate, the U.S. Department of Transportation issued a “rule banning e-cigarettes from checked bags on airplanes because they have been known to catch fire,” which supports a claim that there is “mounting evidence the explosions and fires caused by e-cigarettes and lithium-ion batter(ies) are increasing in occurrence.”
Given all this knowledge, Manuel argued that Sony should be held strictly liable for all damages based off of its defective battery. The plaintiff also alleged that the defendant should have provided consumers with similar “warnings, labels, or instructions” stating that the battery was “designed in a manner such that it should not be stored in a pocket.”
Manuel sought damages “to compensate…for his injuries, economic losses and pain and suffering sustained as a result of the use of the (defendant’s) battery.” The plaintiff also sought attorney’s fees, court costs, and punitive damages.
September 26, 2020