Successful condo living, with multiple units in private ownership, relies on mutual respect for other occupants. However, sometimes things do go wrong unintentionally. The spate of battery fires in shared buildings should alarm any condo management. These incidents make managing lithium-ion batteries a pressing priority.
Lithium-Ion Battery Management in Condos
Colin Biggers and Paisley confirm increasing anxiety among condo owners and residents. People are becoming injured, even dying weekly from electric scooter, electric bike, and electric tool fires, they say.
Managing lithium-ion batteries in these devices is simple in theory, but how should we do so in practice? Not all of these devices are potentially dangerous, of course. The problem stems from lack of standards in countries permitting manufacture of cheap, low-quality products.
Banning these products outright is not feasible either. Lithium-ion batteries are after all environmentally friendly, and contribute to reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
The answer lies in fostering awareness of the dangers of low quality lithium-ion batteries, and the need for responsible battery care. Condo management, owners, and occupiers should accept the realities of the situation, and implement appropriate guidelines.
Managing Lithium-Ion Batteries in Condo Developments
- Lithium-ion batteries can explode if they are used, charged or disposed of incorrectly, or if they are damaged.
- Therefore, condo residents should only purchase these from trusted sources, and carefully follow supplier instructions.
- Lithium-ion battery fires are difficult to extinguish, and may cause severe burns, inhalations, and deaths.
- Condo management should implement safe practices for managing lithium-ion batteries, especially while they are charging.
There are currently no effective national strategies to regulate this situation at this point in time. Many North Americans still do not accept the need to purchase lithium-ion batteries responsibly, handle them carefully, and dispose of them correctly. We wrote this post in the interests of greater battery safety awareness.
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