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X-ray scans reveal the hidden risks of cheap batteries
(www.theverge.com)
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this post was submitted on 28 Sep 2025
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Technology
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Did you read the article? It explains it.
The anodes inside each cells should protrude over the cathodes, so that there will not be a short in case something moves unexpectedly (like vibration, etc).
The cells they have issues with don’t have consistent overhang, sometimes the cathodes protrude. Which could cause a short.
Under normal circumstances they will operate just fine, but they are not as safe as properly manufactured cells.
By the way, omitting safety features usually does not affect normal operation. But safety features are there to protect you in case something goes wrong. Like a seat belt or airbags.
I mean did they check if that was actually true, like throwing a couple dozen just the "wrong way" against the wall and see if they actually catch on fire or are least internally short ?
I mean, we can see there is still a lot of space between the end of the foil and the actual casing, how likely is it, in real life, that this would ever actually matter ?
It's a function of ageing and cycling, those anodes will form dendrites and short sooner or later.
Do we have any example of this happening ? I mean, since it's 33% of all cheap batteries, this must be happening millions of times per day ?
They are not a product testing facility. There are norms and guidelines how these cells should look like and how they should be manufactured.
They are showing that these cells are not up to spec.