Tokyo (Jiji Press) — A Japanese independent administrative agency has warned consumers that products powered by lithium-ion batteries, such as portable chargers and handheld fans, are more liable to catch fire during summer.
A survey by the National Institute of Technology and Evaluation, or NITE, showed that the number of accidents involving such devices has been increasing in recent years, to 1,860 in 2020-2024. Fire accounted for 85 percent of them.
Lithium-ion batteries are vulnerable to heat and impact, making them prone to accidents when temperatures rise.
August marked the highest number of accidents, at 228 cases in the five-year period, followed by July, at 212, and June, at 201.
By product, portable chargers logged the highest number, at 361 cases. There were 202 accidents involving power-assisted bicycles and 171 for rechargeable power tools.
In July…
