Due to the growing popularity of electric vehicles and the increasing demand for renewable energy, it is increasingly important to transport and store batteries in a safe and efficient way. That is why VDL Staalservice, Berlin Packaging Dangerous Goods and Lithium Safety Solutions are jointly developing BUNCKER®; a safe and user-friendly packaging solution for transport or storage of lithium batteries and battery packs that carry a risk.
The point of the story
Paul Malcontent, General Manager at VDL Staalservice, Lambert Dekkers, Sales Director at Berlin Packaging Dangerous Goods and Roel van Veen, expert in regulation and law on lithium-ion batteries at Lithium Safety Solutions are the initiators of BUNCKER®. Their goal was to create packaging for batteries that can withstand a massive battery fire (a so-called ‘Thermal runaway’), without the outside of the packaging becoming too hot. In addition, the solution had to be able to contain any hazardous gases released during a battery fire. Thus limiting the subsequential damage to the extent possible. “Two serious challenges, but we managed to come up with a solution we are very proud of”, says Paul. “The point of the whole story being that we literally had to change our way of thinking. Where other parties in this area opt for a container with a lid, we choose to do it the other way around. We put the product on a pallet and place a bell jar-like cover over it. Moreover, the double-walled cover contains BUNCKER®’s insulation material, preventing users from being hit by any loose debris. A unique solution. We also especially developed the insulation material, which doesn’t only have a thermal function, but also binds hazardous gases, such as hydrogen fluoride. This combination prevents gasses from escaping.”
