Matching the right battery to the requirements
After extensive testing, Boeing ultimately selected the lithium-ion type battery because it has the right functionality and chemistry to deliver a large amount of power in a short period of time to do a high-energy task like start a jet engine. It then has the ability to recharge in a relatively short period of time so that it is available for the critical backup role that it plays during flight. Earlier commercial airplane models, such as the 777, 747 and MD-11, used nickel cadmium (NiCd) batteries, which are heavier, larger and less powerful.
Batteries, like other technologies, have advanced significantly, and lithium-ion type batteries match up with the unique requirements of advanced aircraft.
Lithium-ion batteries have other key advantages that suit it for modern jet application:
- The required high voltage and high current production
- Improved power quality
- An ability to recharge quickly
- Similar functionality to that of NiCd batteries while weighing 30 percent less
- Compact – about the size of the average car battery
Since entering service, Boeing 787 lithium-ion batteries, each with eight cells, have logged more than 2.2 million cell-hours on the ground and in the air during more than 50,000 flight-hours. No battery-related incidents occurred before January 2013, when the airplane experienced two events. Investigation into these events is in progress.
Boeing has been using lithium batteries for decades safely and successfully in other demanding aerospace applications. For instance, they have been successfully used in the satellite industry. Closer to home, lithium batteries are being used safely to power everything from consumer electronics, household power tools and many other applications.
