BATTERIES
S Jones Conversions on safely harnessing battery power
By Andrew Nicholls, head of conversions, S Jones Containers
Tightening up regulations While there is extensive guidance on the safety management of conventional lead acid type batteries, advice on handling high energy density lithium-ion batteries remains scarce and UK regulations lacking. Awareness is being driven by widely publicised horror stories about lithium-ion
In July 2025, the Product Regulation and Metrology Bill received Royal Assent and forward for product safety. However, we believe there is still a long way to go in terms of raising awareness of the hazards of working with and storing lithium-ion batteries in the UK. At its core, the Product Regulation and Metrology Act focuses on reducing or mitigating risks presented by products and ensuring that they operate will allow regulations to be created under it to address a range of topics. One area the Act addresses is the risk posed by substandard and potentially dangerous batteries which As the act evolves, we’d welcome clearer safety guidance and regulations for battery manufacturing in the UK.
Containing the risk, supporting research
We’ve worked collaboratively with pioneering manufacturers for more than a decade to develop a range of containerised battery storage and testing units designed to support the development of new
lithium-ion battery technology. Warwick Manufacturing Group (WMG), for example, which is both an academic department at the University of Warwick and a High Value Manufacturing (HVM) Catapult, plays a pivotal role in shaping the future of electric vehicle battery production in the UK through cutting-edge research and development. Part of the research process involves ‘abuse testing’ – literally testing batteries to destruction to understand their limits and exposing lithium-ion batteries to extreme conditions to evaluate their safety and reliability for everyday use.
The risk of batteries entering thermal runaway during the testing process is runaway, it creates toxic vapour and can burn with intense heat for several days which cannot be easily extinguished, so proper storage and handling are critical. Given that these potentially dangerous tests also require human interaction, our containerised battery abuse testing units are split into two separate chambers – one testing chamber and a separate viewing
38 MARCH 2026 | ELECTRONICS FOR ENGINEERS
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