Can a cell phone battery cause a fire? How should I take care of the battery? How long can it last? These are common questions that may go through your head, but you rarely take the time to look for an answer.
At the end of last year, in the Spanish town of Bera, a 25-year-old man died from a fire that was allegedly caused by poorly connected equipment. A situation similar to the one that occurred in a hotel in Australia, when two tourists left their smartphone all night.
It can also occur in open fields, such as in Uruguay, where a cell phone battery would have caused a garbage dump fire. And in Peru, another similar case is the fire, at the beginning of January, that occurred in Surquillo, where a 24-year-old young man suffered serious burns to his hands.
It is not unusual for one of these devices to cause a fire.. After all, batteries are elements that store energy.
At the end of the last century, The material used was nickel and cadmium, but the arrival of the smartphones It demanded the development of batteries with more energy to carry out the different tasks that today seem routine.
“Smartphone batteries have evolved with technologies such as lithium ion. Current materials prioritize efficiency and safety, improving overall performance,” said Manuel Morey, product specialist at Oppo Peru.
In communication with El Comercio (Peru), he explained that even Today you can monitor the status of components in real time, checking battery temperature, voltage, current and many other parameters.
However, that does not mean that a fire can occur. “Today, thanks to the advancement of technology and the research and development efforts carried out by brands of smartphonesthis risk has been considerably reduced,” he added.
Battery care
It is important to use original chargers to guarantee adequate charging and avoid possible damage due to incompatible voltages and/or lack of charging security systems.
We consulted some recommendations from experts to take care of the battery of a smartphonewhich can be summarized in the following aspects that revolve around the charger type, usage time, useful life and material.
On the one hand, the main factor is the charger. “It is important to use original chargers to guarantee adequate charging and avoid possible damage due to incompatible voltages and/or lack of charging security systems,” says Morey.
When you have a suitable charger, the following is how to use it. The main thing is not to leave the device charging all night. This can help prolong the lifespan and reduce risks, in addition to not using the smartphone while recharging.
But there is a myth. It is believed that leaving the cell phone charging at 100 percent or discharging to 0 percent does not help conserve the battery, but for Morey this is not so important in modern lithium-ion batteries and “Charging between 20 percent and 80 percent is optimal, but it is not necessary to follow it rigorously.”
Another important fact to take into account is that the useful life of a battery smartphone It is usually an average of 2 to 3 years, but it may vary depending on the use that the user gives to the device.
Not only the smartphones They use lithium batteries. Today, this element is present in batteries of different devices, even in the electric bicycles, cars, trucks, trains, boats and airplanes that are being developed.
These equipment are also not immune to the danger of fire. For example, in 2022, only In New York, around 200 fires were reported in the city caused by electric bicycles, leaving six people dead.
In the case of these bicycles the same thing happens as with the smartphones. Poor recharging can also be a factor in affecting the battery, damaging it and causing a fire. In New York it was even proposed that these devices should not be located in apartments, and should only be recharged in garages.
The expert recommendation is to use original chargers.
Photo:iStock
Other recommendations
Experts also recommend keep your computer with the latest software updates, because the adjustments also include the improvement in energy consumption performance.
There are settings on each cell phone that help reduce battery deterioration. For example, iOS in its settings offers to know the health of your battery and gives you options to optimize the charge and activate the “Low Power” mode to reduce background activity that consumes cell phone energy.
Other considerations to take into account are the temperature at which you are going to charge your equipment, It is recommended that you do not do it even at high or low temperatures, because these could affect the battery.
Don’t overcharge your cell phone either. Although the new smartphones They are able to stop charging when it is at 100 percent, The ideal is to disconnect the device as soon as it is fully charged.
Finally, It is advisable to use fast charging mode only when necessary, Because this alternative, if used constantly, can affect the useful life of your battery.
DANIEL BEDOYA RAMOS
EL COMERCIO (PERU) – GDA
