Lithium-ion battery fire
Matter overview
A storeroom fire caused damage to the plaintiff’s premises. The plaintiff’s insurer sought an investigation to determine whether the battery of a cordless vacuum cleaner was the cause.
Expert retained
Unisearch engaged a leading UNSW academic in battery research and development. With extensive industry experience, the expert specialised in 18650 cells and battery structure-property relationships. They were a member of the Royal Australian Chemical Society and co-founder of the Australian Battery Society.
Expert's role
The expert analysed the evidence of spontaneous combustion and provided a report outlining the likely sequence of events and fire origin. Their report explained the structure of the lithium-ion cells in the battery pack and the degradation mechanisms that could have contributed to the incident.
