OT New type of rechargable battery

[alan_m]

That may start some fires.

[harryagain]

It has industry standard lithium ion cells. Someone told me the Tesla uses thousands of "button" cells. Or the original one did.

[Martin Brown]

I can't see a way that could happen as you describe unless he did a bulk scale aluminium dust into pure oxygen detonation. I have seen plenty of explosions on scales that lift ceiling tiles and some have caused audience injuries. I used to know someone who BOC would not sell LOX to because of his pyrotechnics lectures. He built his own LOX still powered by easily available (in any university science lab) LN2.

The most impressive big metal fire I have seen was zirconium and an attempt to put it out with CO2 fire extinguisher (as a how not to demo).

Aluminium is OK provided that its protective oxide coat remains intact. (this condition is probably not met in a battery)

[Capitol]

I think the Aluminium active surface will result in a single(?) atomic layer compound related to the electrolyte so the aluminium will be covered. I've never known an electrolytic capacitor to catch fire, but the capacitor can self destruct explosively. He says, picking the bits of foil off his glasses. These things sound like an improved version of supercapacitors, some of these use carbon as an electrode.

[Dave Liquorice]

Ask Boeing. B-)

Most incidents tend to be when the things are being charged or under very heavy discharge, ie they self heat then go up.

Every airline has different rules. Varying from absolutely verboten anywhere in anything but ignore the fact that to prove your mobile phone is a mobile phone you have to have Li battery in it... To provided that they are in the kit they are intened for or you only have X W/Hrs as spares with terminals suitably insulated hand baggage is fine. In your hold baggage is not normally allowed.

[Tim Streater]

Of course. This is how we should be doing CO2 capture. Run the flue gases over burning zirconium, and filter the resulting carbon from the flue gases before releasing to the atmosphere. Then shove the carbon back into the burner: instant perpetual motion!

(I sell bridges, too).

[The Other Mike]

No, the Tesla Roadster aka the original one uses 18650 batteries too, bigger than an AA but nothing like button cells

6831 cells in total. Note there is an error on this page as there are only 9 bricks per sheet not 99.

Further discussion here

Still a miserable range compared to a car with a fuel tank that is capable of being charged to 100% in a couple of minutes 24 hours a day at thousands of places across this country

[The Other Mike]

As they refuse to take correctly declared batteries not in equipment, presumably they are now actively scanning for batteries, separating them and then destroying them, making the postal service for everyone slower than what it was before. Yet identical batteries contained within some 10p bit of flimsy chinese tat is deemed perfectly acceptable for transport through their postal service.