Smartbags are becoming more common at airports this year as
the technology is becoming more affordable and available. This year, many airlines established a
policy in line with the IATA guidelines which prohibits Smartbags with
non-removable batteries to be transported onboard their flights. It is also common airlines policy not to
provide tools or assist in the removal of these batteries from the luggage.
Another product which is available is the “build your own”
smartbag. Luggage manufacturers are
designing luggage where you can install your own lithium battery as a power
source. Additionally, a new trend are the luggage tag
powerbanks. These are powerbanks which
hang on the luggage and also act as an identification tag. These tags can get caught in the belt
loaders, conveyers and get damaged resulting in fires.
Powerbanks, which the primary purpose is to provide power to
other devices, are classified as UN3480 Lithium Ion Batteries, are forbidden in
the cargo hold. Cheap or grey market
powerbanks are one of the greatest concerns, these devices or the batteries
contained within may not meet certain consumer product safety standards such as
UL1642 (cells) or UL2056 (powerbanks).
This means that the batteries have not been tested to failure by an
independent ISO17025 test lab and may be at a greater risk of thermal
runaway
.
.
According to the Royal Aeronautical Society, there has been
a 288% increase in inflight battery incidents since 2015. As consumers demand more powerful batteries
at lower prices, these grey market batteries are attractive to the consumer and
are easily available on many of the large e-commerce platforms. Additional, aftermarket chargers (plugs and
cables) are also considered to be a contributing factor in incidents where
overcharging may be a cause. Manufacturers
often include a battery management system in the device and in the charger
which have a sort of symbiotic relationship.
The charger and the device work together to manage the charging process,
this is known as a “handshake”. Grey market
batteries and after-market chargers do not have this to regulate the electrical
input and charging process. Even a
slight difference in voltage over time can cause failure.
The combination of a grey market battery and an after-market
charger could significantly increase the risk.
So, what can we do?
- Only purchase Smartbags where the battery is easily removable at any point in your trip.
- Only purchase batteries and powerbanks from well-known and reputable manufacturers and retailers (There are a lot of counterfeits sold in e-commerce).
- Only purchase powerbanks which have a certification from an ISO17025 test laboratory such as UL. These can be identified by some of the below marks on the device:
- Take care to handle your powerbanks and device with care, the internal workings of the batteries and management systems are quite fragile
