When our customers approach us about battery reliability, the most pressing question is always, “How do we prevent catastrophic battery failures?” While the rate of field failures is statistically low at only 1 to 10 ppm, the impact of battery failures has often been severe in recent years. Higher energy densities, and the use of lithium ion batteries closer to the human body are to blame for the severity of impact.
The race to improve the performance and reliability of batteries is on, from electric vehicles to advances in wearables and mobile devices. In the pursuit of performance and the desire to outpace competitors, manufacturers may be tempted to overlook potential shortfalls. Most notably, Samsung made news when the company halted production of its Galaxy Note 7 and eventually scrapped the entire product after devices caught fire.
In part 1 of this 3-part blog series, we discussed the most important metrics for battery selection. One thing to remember about battery selection is that it is essentially about managing tradeoffs. You trade off some battery metrics in order to gain in others – for example in order to gain power density, you may have to trade off energy density.
In part 1 of this 3-part blog series, we discussed the most important metrics for battery selection. One thing to remember about battery selection is that it is essentially about managing tradeoffs. You trade off one feature in order to gain in another – for example in order to gain power density, you may have to reduce energy density.