While EVs are less likely to catch fire than cars with internal combustion engines, when they do, it’s worse. Much worse. The culprit? Their lithium-ion batteries. To better understand why lithium-ion batteries can sometimes be hazardous, let’s first refresh how they work. A li-ion battery comprises of four key elements: a positive electrode (the cathode), a negative electrode (the anode), an electrolyte, and a separator. The structure of a lithium-ion battery (Credit: Jianan Zhang et al) The electrodes store the lithium ions, the electrolyte carries them between the electrodes, and the separator keeps the cathode from coming in contact with the…
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