Lenovo recalls laptop batteries over fire
risk
Michael Kanellos
CNET News.com
September 29, 2006, 08:40 BST
Chinese firm is the fourth notebook manufacturer hit by
overheating problems with Sony's battery cells
The battery problem keeps exploding.
Lenovo will recall 526,000 notebook batteries due to faulty
batteries, the company said on Thursday.
The batteries were designed by Lenovo, but Sony produced the
lithium ion cell. The recall affects notebooks produced from
February 2005 to September 2006, according to Lenovo spokesman Ray
Gorman. For now, the recall will only affect about 5 percent to 10
percent of notebooks produced by Lenovo, Gorman said, but the
company recommends that all customers go to the Lenovo site and
check to see if they have one of the faulty batteries.
Separately, Sony announced that it will initiate its own recall
programme involving battery packs using its battery cell
technology. Details will be announced later in co-operation with
the US Consumer Products Safety Commission, but the programme will
involve the replacement of affected battery packs "in order to
address concern related to recent overheating incidents", Sony said
in a press release.
With the recall, Lenovo becomes the fourth major PC manufacturer to
haul batteries back due to safety problems. Dell said that it would
recall 4.1 million notebook batteries in August, and Apple
subsequently announced it had to recall 1.8 million notebook
batteries. Toshiba, meanwhile, said this month that it would recall
340,000 batteries.
A Lenovo ThinkPad T43 caught fire at Los Angeles International
Airport earlier this month. In August, Lenovo said it was speaking
with Sony about the issue. While Lenovo did begin to examine the
potential for problems in the wake of the Dell and Apple recalls,
the PC maker said that the way it puts batteries in its hardware
differs from the other companies' methods. Lenovo acquired the
ThinkPad line of notebooks from IBM, which historically has been
known for careful design.
The problem with the recalled notebook batteries rests with lithium
ion battery cells made by Sony. PC makers and component suppliers
buy these cells and design batteries around them. These battery
cells can provide several hours of electricity to notebooks, but
the liquid inside them is flammable. If a short takes place, a
chain chemical reaction can occur that melts the battery or causes
the notebook to explode. Lenovo inserts technology into its
batteries to prevent chain reactions and has contemplated licensing
it to others.
Like the gas tank in a car, lithium ion batteries in most instances
are safe. However, to extend battery life, battery makers have been
putting more flammable liquid into these batteries, and making
other parts inside the batteries smaller and thinner. This, in
turn, increases the potential problem, as it is more likely that
thinner materials will come loose and interfere with the proper
working of the battery cell.
Back in 2004, Sony execs said lithium ion technology would be
likely to hit its limit in 2006.
Start-ups and venture capitalists are tinkering with
alternatives to lithium ion, such as zinc-based batteries, but
these are not available yet.
