Industry News

Quincy, Mass. — The latest issue of the NFPA Journal, the official magazine of the National Fire Protection Association <http://www.nfpa.org>  (NFPA), focuses on concerns related to fire-safety hazards of lithium-ion battery use in its cover story, “Elemental Questions <http://www.nfpa.org/publicJournalDetail.asp?categoryID=2461&amp;itemID=55690&amp;src=NFPAJournal&amp;cookie%5Ftest=1> ,” NFPA has conducted research and established several partnerships to study and address fire-safety risks associated with lithium-ion batteries, a fuel source used for hundreds of millions of devices.

The electric vehicle industry has invested heavily in lithium-ion technology to power its products and the rise in the number of electric vehicles on roads presents new challenges for emergency responders. A recent incident involving a Chevrolet Volt which caught fire a few weeks after passing a crash test brought closer examination to issues related to lithium-ion batteries in vehicles and NFPA is working with government agencies, insurers, and car manufacturers to address these issues on a national scale.