Connect with us
hyundai kona ev fire hyundai kona ev fire

News

Honeywell’s newest partnership aims to prevent EV battery fires

The remains of an ill-fated Hyundai Kona EV. (Photo: Mathieu Wagner/Twitter)

Published

on

Honeywell announced it has landed a new partnership with Nexceris, the company that developed Li-ion Tamer lithium-ion gas detection solutions, in an attempt to increase electric vehicle safety.

The partnership will culminate new sensor-based solutions as the two companies plan to develop a new system that could prevent conditions leading to thermal runaway in EV batteries, which can cause fires when extremely high temperatures are reached.

The sensors will detect gases produced from excessive temperatures in lithium-ion batteries. The detection systems could allow for early intervention and help avoid costly property damage and safety issues.

Honeywell said the partnership is necessary to develop solutions to prevent fires caused by lithium-ion battery overheating. Global EV sales doubled in 2021 from 2020, and as many of the models introduced over the past few years utilize lithium-ion cells, preventative measures are becoming imperative. Companies across the sector are attempting to develop fire-proof EV cells, with various strategies being utilized to prevent an occurrence.

“As the world transitions to electric-powered vehicles, automakers are faced with the need to provide lithium-ion batteries that function properly and safely during all stages of their lifecycle. At Honeywell, we are supporting this transition with ready-now solutions to help our customers mitigate safety risks as they expand their electric vehicle portfolios,”  Victor Verissimo of Honeywell said. “Furthermore, by collaborating with Nexceris to develop an enhanced suite of battery monitoring sensors, we will help automotive manufacturers strengthen their battery health monitoring systems with the ability to detect thermal runaway conditions even earlier.”

Advertisement

Li-ion Tamer products were developed by Nexceris to make batteries safer. Since the company’s start in 2010, Nexceris has performed regular testing and analysis on battery systems, working side-by-side with designers, regulators, and other experts to improve battery safety. In 2020, the company partnered with Honeywell’s Building Technologies division to “continuously improve the Li-ion Tamer products and provide innovative safety solutions, building a safety platform for all lithium-ion battery users, and enabling the growth of clean energy.”

Nexceris technologies have been utilized in NASA’s development of Solid Oxide Cells for lunar applications.

In 2019, the company’s Li-ion Tamer was featured in PV Magazine, which detailed the product’s effectiveness across the marine and automotive industries. Randy Stacy, COO and Managing Partner at the company, described the importance of catching thermal runaway events early, about eight to twelve minutes before they begin.

The unpredictability of battery malfunctions is an essential precedent for developing preventative measures. With thousands of battery cells put in energy storage and utility-scale projects, it is a safe assumption that one will eventually have an issue.

I’d love to hear from you! If you have any comments, concerns, or questions, please email me at joey@teslarati.com. You can also reach me on Twitter @KlenderJoey, or if you have news tips, you can email us at tips@teslarati.com.

Advertisement

Joey has been a journalist covering electric mobility at TESLARATI since August 2019. In his spare time, Joey is playing golf, watching MMA, or cheering on any of his favorite sports teams, including the Baltimore Ravens and Orioles, Miami Heat, Washington Capitals, and Penn State Nittany Lions. You can get in touch with joey at joey@teslarati.com. He is also on X @KlenderJoey. If you're looking for great Tesla accessories, check out shop.teslarati.com

Advertisement
Comments

News

Tesla makes big change to encourage Full Self-Driving purchases

Tesla Full Self-Driving was recently proven to be about ten times safer than a human driver in terms of accident frequency.

Published

on

Credit: Whole Mars Blog | X

Tesla has made a big change to its Online Design Studio, hoping to encourage car buyers to purchase Full Self-Driving with their vehicles.

Now, when you look at ordering a car on Tesla’s website, the portion of the page that formerly showed a render of Full Self-Driving capabilities has been replaced by a compilation of the suite’s performance in a variety of challenging scenarios.

It’s a great way to show off FSD’s impressive ability to work through road conditions that can even stump human drivers.

Advertisement

The move is much better than what the page previously illustrated. Now, people can see the true capabilities of the FSD suite and what it could do to change their perspective on how vehicles can be. Instead of a vessel of transportation, FSD turns cars into a semi-autonomous mode of travel.

Tesla Full Self-Driving is statistically very safe, logging about ten times the number of miles between accidents as human drivers, based on recent data the company released.

Tesla Q2 2025 vehicle safety report proves FSD makes driving almost 10X safer

It is available for purchase in two different ways: an outright purchase for $8,000 or in a monthly subscription for $99. This enables the software to essentially do a vast majority of the legwork of driving. Drivers must keep their eyes on the road and be prepared to take over if an intervention is needed.

However, FSD has been proven to be a very accurate and safe way to travel. Tesla recently released a video of a drive from the Bay Area to Los Angeles, a nearly seven-hour trip, under FSD without a single intervention ever needed:

Advertisement

Tesla flexes its most impressive and longest Full Self-Driving demo yet

From a personal perspective, Tesla Full Self-Driving is a great way to travel because it truly takes a lot of the stress out of driving. In the past, I’ve used it during weekend Demo Drives to navigate around my town to see if it could handle some of the tougher traffic in my area. It became such an amazing and convenient alternative that when I went back to my car, I truly missed the advantage of having it.

I took a Tesla Model Y weekend-long Demo Drive – Here’s what I learned

However, I am picking up my Tesla Model Y this coming weekend and will enjoy it for the free three months before subscribing to the monthly program.

Advertisement
Continue Reading

News

Tesla offers new feature to save battery and reduce phantom drain

While in Low Power Mode, your vehicle continues to use energy for standby functions, screen activity, and Tesla app interactions. In cold weather, available energy may drop more quickly.”

Published

on

Credit: Tesla

Tesla is offering a new feature to help owners save battery and reduce phantom drain, an issue that some have complained of with their cars.

While Teslas are some of the most efficient EVs on the market, they utilize energy and battery life when they’re parked to keep certain features, like Sentry Mode, Summon Standby, and others, active in preparation for potential events that occur.

Keeping these features ready to perform utilizes energy, and if your car is parked at an airport where it could be sitting stagnant for a few days, the battery percentage could start to dwindle pretty significantly.

Because of this, Tesla is rolling out a new feature called “Low Power Mode,” which will automatically disable a handful of settings to combat battery dwindling and phantom battery drain.

Tesla writes in the release notes for the feature:

Advertisement

“When Low Power Mode is enabled, your vehicle will conserve energy by automatically disabling the following features:

    • Sentry Mode
    • Summon Standby
    • Outlets
    • Keep Accessory Power On
    • Keep Climate On and Camp Mode
    • Scheduled Preconditioning
    • Cabin Overheat Protection

While charging with Low Power Mode enabled:

    • Sentry Mode and accessory power will remain available
    • Keep Climate On and Camp Mode are only available when Supercharging

While in Low Power Mode, your vehicle continues to use energy for standby functions, screen activity, and Tesla app interactions. In cold weather, available energy may drop more quickly.”

This feature seemed to be a reaction to a past issue that an owner had as their Cybertruck continued to utilize energy even though the pickup was parked at an airport and the owner was in Japan. The Cybertruck had utilized a lot of energy to keep standby functions active, which left the owner in an interesting spot when they returned.

Advertisement

CEO Elon Musk stepped in, and it seems this feature might have been a reaction to that situation. This is an ideal thing to use if you’re looking to conserve your battery’s state of charge.

Continue Reading

News

Tesla is bringing back something it took from the Model 3…for a price

“Modify your Model 3 by replacing the turn signal buttons on your steering wheel with turn signal stalks. This modification is included in the purchase price and is installed by a Tesla Service Center.”

Published

on

Credit: Tesla

Tesla is bringing back the Model 3’s turn signal stalk in China after removing the part with the refresh of the all-electric sedan early last year.

However, it is going to cost you.

In 2024, Tesla launched the Model 3 “Highland,” a refreshed version of the vehicle that included several large-scale changes. One of the most noticeable was the lack of a turn signal stalk, something the company chose to remove and instead implement turn signal buttons on the steering wheel.

The buttons were met with mixed reviews, as some drivers complained that it was too difficult to get used to them. Others had no problem with the change, noting that it was slightly more convenient for them or that they enjoyed the minimalistic look.

Now, Tesla is offering Model 3 owners in China the opportunity to replace the stalk for a price of ¥ 2,499, or about $350:

Advertisement

“Modify your Model 3 by replacing the turn signal buttons on your steering wheel with turn signal stalks. This modification is included in the purchase price and is installed by a Tesla Service Center.”

Tesla notes on its website that the service is available for Model 3 vehicles without stalks manufactured after February 7, 2025. Any car without a stalk that was manufactured before that date will have the service available to them in the future.

Installation can be performed at a Service Center or by the owner. However, Tesla notes that it is not responsible for any damages resulting from self-installation and recommends that the part be put in by an employee.

The cockpit of the Tesla lineup has been under intense scrutiny by the company in recent years. After a few changes to things like the stalk, steering wheel shape, and others, Tesla has usually given drivers the chance to have things reverted back to their preferences if they want.

They did this for the Model S and Model X a few years ago after implementing the yoke steering wheel.

Advertisement

Tesla Steering Wheel Retrofits have started, and it’s easy to get rid of your yoke

The stalk was not supposed to be removed from the Model 3 and Model Y, but Tesla chose to do so with the refresh last year.

It seems the minimalization of the cockpit, overall, is a move that prepares drivers for autonomy, as eventually, Teslas will be void of pedals, steering wheels, and any other apparatus that are used to control the car.

Continue Reading

Trending