New regulations for Lithium Batteries as air cargo in 2016

[Jan Anne]

On the 1st of April there will be new regulations for the transport by air of Li-Ion batteries.
http://www.iata.org/whatwedo/cargo/dgr/Pages/lithium-batteries.aspx

Details for passengers can be found here
http://www.iata.org/whatwedo/cargo/dgr/Pages/dgr-guidance.aspx

In short:
- Everything below 100 Wh can be brought along without limitation in numbers but spares must be transported in the carry-on bagage (or pockets)
- Between 100 Wh and 160 Wh approval of the operator is needed and spares are limited to two pieces

As a reference the mighty D3 batteries were roughly 27 Wh (2500mAh x 10.8V) so its safe to assume that the batteries for the average camera is well below the 100 Wh limit.

Laptops might be a little more tricky, the smaller models should be well within the 100 Wh limit but bigger laptops like the latest MacBook Pro Retina 15" barely makes  the 100 Wh limit with it's built-in 99,5 Wh Li-Ion battery.

Watts-hour (Wh) is Amp-hour (Ah) times Voltage (V), both are usually mentioned on the device or battery but these are the commonly used voltages (some are labeled slightly lower):
- 3.7V: The flat batteries used in pocket cameras, smart phones, laptops, 18650, etc
- 7.4V: The batteries used in most DSLR and mirrorless cameras (contain two li-ion cells)
- 10.8V: Used in the professional cameras like the D3, D4 and D5 (contain three li-ion cells)

The official IATA table with the details

[Tom Gresham]

Thanks for that.

It can be a real problem with video cameras. 

[Jørgen Ramskov]

What would they say if the 15" MBP battery was above the limit? It's not like you can just plug it out.

[Ron Scubadiver]

What would they say if the 15" MBP battery was above the limit? It's not like you can just plug it out.

I suspect these regulations had been discussed for a while with both airlines and manufacturers of devices using larger lithium batteries. Apple probably knew to limit the battery to 99.5 w/hr well in advance.

[Hugh_3170]

It seems at even low capacity batteries can pose a threat if there are manufacturing issues with the batteries themselves.  Made more difficult with batteries that are hard wired into appliances such as mobile phones, tablet computers, and slim line note book computers. Such devices having "melt downs" in checked on luggage are scary to think about.

Samsung's recent woes with its new Galaxy Note 7 phone are one example:

Link: http://www.samsung.com/us/note7recall/

Link: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/sep/03/samsung-recalls-galaxy-note-7-phones-after-battery-fires 

[tommiejeep]

Thanks J.A. , had not seen this before.   I'll have to check all of mine.  The a7II and EM-1, particularly when using Wi-Fi, eat batteries so carrying more but always in my hand carry.
Appreciate the heads up.
Tom

[Rich lane]

That is very useful Info thanks for posting!

[Bill De Jager]

Samsung's recent woes with its new Galaxy Note 7 phone are one example:

Link: http://www.samsung.com/us/note7recall/

Link: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/sep/03/samsung-recalls-galaxy-note-7-phones-after-battery-fires

On a recent flight we were specifically told at the onset to not use or charge these particular phones while on the plane!  I'd never before seen the flight attendants mention a specific make and model of consumer electronics before while briefing the passengers.

[abergon]

On a recent flight we were specifically told at the onset to not use or charge these particular phones while on the plane!  I'd never before seen the flight attendants mention a specific make and model of consumer electronics before while briefing the passengers.

May be some Civil Aviation Authorities / IATA instructions because I hear the same whenever I fly. Nice publicity for the brand, that is for sure.

[PedroS]

On a recent flight we were specifically told at the onset to not use or charge these particular phones while on the plane!  I'd never before seen the flight attendants mention a specific make and model of consumer electronics before while briefing the passengers.

In my last flight all passengers carrying those devices should have them presented and stored by the crew.
I think it's time to think about li-ion safety bags, that I happen to have in my house... R/C electric cars needs them for a long time, thought.
https://www.google.pt/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwizuZ-F_MPPAhVEshQKHQtLAf4QjRwIBw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com%2Fbhp%2Flipo-protection&psig=AFQjCNGWyWBrifRJ6XxdFiu4Okc5PSY3Yw&ust=1475767298257348

[Akira]

Pedro, I didn't know about such items.  Thanks for the heads-up.

That said, I realize that the bottom of MH-25a charger for the popular Nikon EN-EL15 Li-ion battery becomes fairly hot while charging.  I would prefer leaving it in an open space, although that would depend on the situations...

[Alaun]

Pedro, these boxes -being closed when charging- will also keep the heat from charging inside the box? I assume this could cause a problem with the batteries in the first place?
 

[PedroS]

Pedro, these boxes -being closed when charging- will also keep the heat from charging inside the box? I assume this could cause a problem with the batteries in the first place?

Hi, those bags/boxes were developed for high current fast charging li-ion batteries to be used in high performance R/C cars.
They warm a little indeed, but the danger is exploding, not heating, as they are expected to be on the hot side. But the heat developed is linked to the charging current and nothing else. So at the charging rates we use to charge ours it won't be a thing to worry about.
And these bags/boxes are invaluable when traveling with lots of batteries, or when impact is to be expected on them.

Warning: don't buy cheap Chinese ones, go the R/C specialized stores and buy established brands with kevlar net

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQldY7fKn5o

[Bill De Jager]

On a recent flight we were specifically told at the onset to not use or charge these particular phones while on the plane!  I'd never before seen the flight attendants mention a specific make and model of consumer electronics before while briefing the passengers.

And it actually happened: http://www.cnbc.com/2016/10/05/smoke-from-samsung-device-led-to-evacuation-of-southwest-flight-.html.  Fortunately the plane was on the ground and there were no injuries.