Standards for safe lithium batteries

November 14, 2022 The American Boat and Yacht Council has developed standards for lithium-ion batteries—like this Victron battery for an experimental vessel—making them easier to insure, and easier to sell. Sam Devlin photo. Installation of lithium batteries has reportedly voided some marine insurance policies due to the risks of fires. This becomes a major concern in the push to for more electric powered or hybrid diesel-electric vessels, particularly in the commercial fishing industry.But in a recent article in Professional Boatbuilder magazine, Ed Sherman, the former curriculum designer for the American Boat and Yacht Council (ABYC) reported that the organization has tested and developed standards for lithium batteries that could make them more acceptable to marine insurers.Lithium-ion batteries are vulnerable to thermal runaway, an internal, uncontainable, exothermic…

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