NTSB on batteries safaty.

[PolishPilot]

The batteries of the Boeing 787 are by the same manufacturer like ours, in our Outlander PHEV.
I thought it could be interesting for you to see what conclusions NTSB had on the battery fire case.
One safety recommendations for GS Yuasa, battery manufacturer.

Full report to be found here:

http://www.ntsb.gov/doclib/reports/2014/AIR1401.pdf

Cell manufacturing defects and oversight
of cell manufacturing processes.
After
the incident, the NTSB visited GS Yuasa’s production facility to observe the cell
manufacturing process. During the visit, the NTSB identified several concerns,
including foreign object debris (FOD) generation during
cell welding operations and
a postassembly inspection process that could not reliably detect manufacturing
defects, such as FOD and perturbations (wrinkles) in the cell windings, which could
lead to internal short circuiting. In addition, the FAA’s oversi
ght of Boeing, Boeing’s oversight of Thales, and Thales’ oversight of GS Yuasa did not ensure that the cell
manufacturing process was consistent with established industry
practices.

Of course, this is history, in the meantime the procedures have been changed, but I think,
this event was also partly the reason for delay in production and deliveries of PHEV.

Yuasa and Mitsubishi:

http://green.autoblog.com/2007/05/08/mitsubishi-forms-jv-with-gs-yuasa-to-build-lithium-ion-batteries/

 

[jaapv]

This has been a bit of an embarrasment for the manufacturer, I suppose :twisted:
However, I suppose that aviation standards are slightly higher than those of the motoring industry

The batteries of the Boeing 787 are by the same manufacturer like ours, in our Outlander PHEV.
I thought it could be interesting for you to see what conclusions NTSB had on the battery fire case.
One safety recommendations for GS Yuasa, battery manufacturer.

Full report to be found here:

http://www.ntsb.gov/doclib/reports/2014/AIR1401.pdf

Cell manufacturing defects and oversight
of cell manufacturing processes.
After
the incident, the NTSB visited GS Yuasa’s production facility to observe the cell
manufacturing process. During the visit, the NTSB identified several concerns,
including foreign object debris (FOD) generation during
cell welding operations and
a postassembly inspection process that could not reliably detect manufacturing
defects, such as FOD and perturbations (wrinkles) in the cell windings, which could
lead to internal short circuiting. In addition, the FAA’s oversi
ght of Boeing, Boeing’s oversight of Thales, and Thales’ oversight of GS Yuasa did not ensure that the cell
manufacturing process was consistent with established industry
practices.

Of course, this is history, in the meantime the procedures have been changed, but I think,
this event was also partly the reason for delay in production and deliveries of PHEV.

Yuasa and Mitsubishi:

http://green.autoblog.com/2007/05/08/mitsubishi-forms-jv-with-gs-yuasa-to-build-lithium-ion-batteries/

 

[maby]

This has been a bit of an embarrasment for the manufacturer, I suppose :twisted:
However, I suppose that aviation standards are slightly higher than those of the motoring industry ...

I do believe that the delay launching the Outlander in the US is largely down to the authorities there insisting on better battery protection measures than it currently has.

 

[PolishPilot]

This has been a bit of an embarrasment for the manufacturer, I suppose :twisted:
However, I suppose that aviation standards are slightly higher than those of the motoring industry ...

I do believe that the delay launching the Outlander in the US is largely down to the authorities there insisting on better battery protection measures than it currently has.

I hope, we will all profit from this incidents in the past, and from modification of the Outlander PHEV for the US market.
Any software (firmware) improvements can be easily transferred to existing vehicles.
If these will be hardware improvements, we will only profit when replacing the battery pack, or the whole vehicle...

 

[anko]

Production of the PHEV for the domestic market was stopped early (end of March?) 2013 after three incidents. If I remember correctly these incidents were:

- A battery pack catching fire when exposed to a duration stress test on a test stand.
- A PHEV failed to start in the showroom of a dealership. There was a strange smell and a wet substance on the floor, underneath the car.
- A MIEV immobilised somehow, due to battery issues.

There was a long investigation. At some point they said that batteries were damaged in the factory, when the were inserted into a testing stand. Later they said that some cells pr pack of cells had been dropped onto the factory floor, set aside, and later accidentally reinserted into the production line.

Either way, the stress caused bedris / contamination inside the cells, which could lead to short-circuiting the cell.

The have changed the testing procedure, but not the design of production line itself, as far as I know. After the issues were resolved, Mitsubishi was forced by Japanese government to replace all batteries of all PHEV delivered to the domestic market so far, before they wrote allowed to produce for foreign markets.

As a result, I did not get my PHEV in July 2013 but in November 2013. After ordering it in December 2012

 

[jaapv]

This has been a bit of an embarrasment for the manufacturer, I suppose :twisted:
However, I suppose that aviation standards are slightly higher than those of the motoring industry ...

I do believe that the delay launching the Outlander in the US is largely down to the authorities there insisting on better battery protection measures than it currently has.

Afaik the main problem lies in the battery condition indication.