Originally posted by zapp The large size is for mobility devices like electric wheel-chairs
Originally posted by Fenwoodian .
Last week my wife asked me to dispose of her old iPad.
I took a hammer to it on the driveway as there was some personal stuff on it I didn't want to get out.
To my surprise, the lithium battery in the iPad started a small fire while I was smashing up the iPad.
Even with that tiny little fire, the limited smoke that it gave off was horrible and overpowering. I have no doubt that a more serious lithium battery fire inside a confined area (like a plane) would produce seriously toxic and irritating smoke that would make breathing difficult (to say the least).
There's a lot of energy stored in the batteries, even when "depleted". When you crush the battery the innards short out releasing the energy in a very short time.
Watch the Linus Tech guy rebuild some battery banks and the precautions he took. As well as numerous "flare ups".
The airlines want the batteries in the passenger cabin because the crew can respond to a fire if need be. Depending on the aircraft the crew may not be able to access the cargo hold in flight.