Failure Rates in Lithium-ion Batteries
- Lithium-ion batteries generally exhibit an extremely low failure rate, approximately between 1 in 10 million to 1 in 40 million cells experiencing catastrophic failure such as fire or explosion.
- Quality Li-ion cells have failure rates better than 1 in 10 million.
Failure Rates in Electric Vehicles
- EV lithium-ion batteries typically use nickel-manganese-cobalt (NMC) chemistry.
- Tesla’s data, representing a sizable portion of the EV market, shows that even with nearly 900,000 vehicles sold in the first half of 2023 (equivalent to around three-quarters of a billion cells), safety events including fires were extremely rare—just a few dozen incidents globally.
- This evidences a very low failure rate consistent with the general statistics of Li-ion cells.
Failure Rates in Energy Storage Systems
- Energy storage systems predominantly use lithium-iron phosphate (LFP) chemistry, which is inherently safer than NMC used in EVs.
- LFP batteries have a lower probability of thermal runaway or fire due to less energy release upon failure.
- ESS designs include features to isolate and prevent propagation of cell failure, further enhancing safety.
- There have been no recorded deaths from energy storage facility battery failures in the United States, underscoring their robust safety standards and regulatory environment.
Summary Comparison
| Aspect | Electric Vehicle Batteries (NMC) | Energy Storage System Batteries (LFP) |
|---|---|---|
| Chemistry | Nickel-Manganese-Cobalt (NMC) | Lithium-Iron Phosphate (LFP) |
| Failure Rate (catastrophic) | ~1 in 10 million to 1 in 40 million cells | Comparable or potentially lower due to safer LFP chemistry |
| Safety Incidents | Very few (dozens globally in hundreds of millions of cells in use) | Extremely rare, no deaths reported in the US |
| Design Safety Features | Standard battery management systems | Additional cell failure isolation and containment features |
| Energy Release on Failure | Higher energy density, more energetic failures | Lower energy release, lower fire risk |
In conclusion, while lithium-ion batteries across EVs and energy storage have similarly low failure rates, energy storage batteries tend to be safer due to the use of LFP chemistry and advanced system design to prevent failure propagation. EV batteries, though slightly more energetic and relying on NMC chemistry, still maintain a very low failure rate with stringent quality controls.
Original article by NenPower, If reposted, please credit the source: https://nenpower.com/blog/how-do-the-failure-rates-of-lithium-ion-batteries-in-energy-storage-compare-to-those-in-electric-vehicles/
