Question 1:   Why has my lithium-ion battery swollen, and won't fit onto my radio?

Question 2:   What causes the swelling?

Question 3:   Are the swollen batteries safe?

Question 4:   What causes the battery pack to split open?

Question 5:   How should the battery be disposed of?

Answer 1:    All lithium-ion battery packs and cells swell and it is usually an indication that the battery has reached the end of its service life and needs to be replaced.  Batteries can also swell as a result of the following conditions:

1.      The battery has been exposed for an extended time to temperatures above +60C

2.      The battery has been left in a deeply discharged state for a period of time (i.e. months)

Answer 2:    Lithium Ion cells are self contained chemical systems that store energy.  The chemical reactions occur within the cell and are part of normal use.  These reactions are normal wear out mechanisms that result in cell swell.  This is a known and a normal occurrence in rechargeable lithium ion batteries/cells on the market today.  As batteries are continued to be used, they will continue to swell.  There are two fundamental mechanisms that occur to cause cell swelling.

1. Gas generation – gas is created from a reaction between the internal electrolyte and the electrode.

2. Physical growth – as a part of normal use, the electrode thickness increases over time.

Answer 3:  Yes, typically when a cell/battery has swollen at end of life, the battery is essentially "dead". It's energy has been discharged and it won't hold a charge

Answer 4: The battery packs split open due to a workmanship defect (poor ultrasonic weld joint) that allowed the cells to continue swelling. Normally a "good weld joint" will only allow the battery to bulge due to cell swell but not split open

Answer 5: Any battery packs that are swollen should be placed into "Ziploc" type bags and recycled as other batteries that have been taken out of service and are considered not fit for use.

General Battery Tips

1. Use batteries in accordance with product specifications (warranty, temperature, environmental conditions).

2. Store batteries when not in use in a well ventilated, temperature (68F/20C to 86F/30C) and humidity (30%-60%) controlled environment.

3. Use only Motorola authorized charging systems to charge your battery.

4. Periodically check to see if there have been any charger firmware updates to insure that the batteries are charged with the latest charging algorithms.

5. The optimal battery storage condition is 30%-50% charge state. New batteries should be stored as delivered from Motorola Solutions.

6. Used batteries should be charged or discharged to approx 50% and periodically checked every 6 months to maintain the charge between 30%-50% charge state.