Batteries have always been considered hazardous products that are highly susceptible to environmental conditions. The fires erupting from batteries have been a major source of concern for all battery manufacturers.
However, this is not a problem with which only the automakers deal. One such example is Samsung’s Note 7 smartphone which proved that a failed battery can cause a billion dollar loss to industry giants.
Why Are Li-ion Batteries So Dangerous?
EV manufacturers face serious hazards as these vehicles have batteries that are thousands of times bigger than those in smartphones. Thus they have the potential to cause much more damage than a small explosion.
Renault Has Been Vocal About The Problem
One such recent instance took place when Renault identified that its EV dubbed Zoe has a similar problem. However, instead of concealing the matter, Renault decided to face it and has just recalled vehicles belonging to this model.
The company informed the EU authorities that the Renault Zoe models manufactured between 13 January and 22 February this year have an internal problem that puts these vehicles at the risk of an internal short circuit.
Why Was It So Unsafe?
In case the short circuit happens, a fire can erupt which can cause severe burns to people in the surroundings and this is why the company has acted responsibly and recalled its vehicles produced between this period.
Renault Might Not Be At Fault, Entirely
The batteries for the EV were manufactured by LG Energy Solution that produced them in Poland and they were later handed over to Renault who then assembled them in its vehicles.
Not The First Time That EVs Have Been Recalled
This is not the first time that batteries produced by the LG Energy Solution have been recalled due to a fault. The previous two instances took place with the Chevy Bolt and Hyundai Kona both of which were recalled by the company.
Who Paid For The Past Cases?
In both cases, the cost of the recalls was borne by LG as both GM and Hyundai blamed LG Energy Solution for causing inconvenience to customers and for tarnishing their brand image as well.
Potential Alternative
So if we have so many reservations about lithium battery safety, there must be something we should do about this.
One way of dealing with such a situation is to introduce an alternative with a different chemical composition than the Li-ion which makes it more stable and thus safer.
What Is GMG?
Graphene Manufacturing Group (GMG) is a world-renowned company that recently entered an agreement with Robert Bosch and is all set to offer one-of-its-kind Aluminum ion batteries to the world.
What makes these batteries particularly impressive is that they have extremely high density and are safe from fires which makes them usable for EVs.
The best part about these batteries is the fact that they are completely recyclable which also makes them much safer when compared to Li-ion batteries.
Final Verdict
While Renault is just the third manufacturer to have recalled its EVs, this might just be the start of a chain reaction.
This is why choosing an alternative like the Graphene Aluminum batteries is a good solution.
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