LITHIUM-ION BATTERY FIRE TESTING

Requirement

The increasing use of electric micro-mobility devices (EMMD) such as electric bicycles (e-bikes) and electric scooters (e-scooters) by tourists and daily commuters has introduced new risk vectors to maritime transit. Because these transit modes carry passengers and their EMMDs concurrently, commercial passenger ferries represent a unique environment where a lithium-ion battery fire could present severe risk to life safety and vessel survivability. The USCG requires a study on thermal runaway propagation and suppression agent effectiveness on lithium-ion batteries in common shipboard EMMD stowage configurations. The primary objective is to acquire high-fidelity empirical data to characterize lithium-ion battery fire behavior and severity resulting from an e-bike fire on a commercial ferry and evaluate current maritime suppression methods. This data will guide future policy for vessel fire safety and crew training and response.