From Clive Semmens
Charlie Robinson pokes fun at concerns about the safety of lithium-ion batteries in cars, pointing out that today’s cars carry a tankful of fuel (5 November, p 21). There are important differences.
A lithium-ion cell can release all its energy immediately in an explosion, because it isn’t dependent on atmospheric oxygen as an oxidiser. A tankful of petrol cannot instantly explode (outside the movies). In the event of an accident, petrol is liable to be spilled and catch fire – nasty enough, but for petrol to cause a major explosion, it has to vaporise and mix with a large volume of air. This can happen after a road accident, but it is quite unusual, and it takes a while, almost always long enough for injured people to be removed from the scene.
Ely, Cambridgeshire, UK
