Lithium-ion batteries are often the preferred choice for powering rechargeable-battery-operated consumer products due to their high value proposition for cost and energy density. Lithium-ion batteries are also highly reliable. Therefore, lithium-ion battery packs are now finding their way into very complex consumer products including hybrid and electric vehicles. The utilization of lithium batteries in small consumer products is increasing rapidly. However, lithium-ion battery failures can be substantially more energetic than failures of conventional battery units traditionally used in the automotive market, due to higher quantities of stored electrical and chemical energy within lithium-ion cells.

The large and complex battery configurations needed for electric and hybrid vehicles and the applications to very demanding automotive operational conditions present new challenges in areas of safety, durability, reliability, and performance. Thus, the risk potential and exposure to new potential technical challenges in a new and demanding operational environment should be considered in the vehicle development process. As new uses are explored, this battery technology must be well understood and thoroughly considered in the context of the new application.