Honeywell acquires battery fire detection solution

Honeywell has expanded its fire safety portfolio with the acquisition of ‘Li-ion Tamer’ technology from energy storage company Nexceris.

Li-ion Tamer is an off-gas detection solution for lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries that is designed to predict thermal runaway events. Its recent acquisition by Honeywell emerged from a partnership with Nexceris over the past five years that aimed to strategically address lithium-ion battery system safety. The transaction is expected to be immediately accretive to Honeywell’s financials.

Image courtesy of Honeywell.

With demand for Li-ion batteries expected to grow by over 30% annually through 2030 to greater than US$400 billion, according to 2022 analysis by McKinsey, battery safety solutions are increasingly critical for sectors ranging from renewable energy to cloud computing.

Safe monitoring and early detection are essential for avoiding or reducing the effects of thermal runaway — without these solutions, an entire system can be lost once a fire begins in an energy storage system.

By using early-warning technology to detect battery off-gassing, which typically precedes thermal runaway, Li-ion Tamer provides facilities with vital time to intervene before a battery fire starts. With its detection technology that provides a warning up to 30 minutes in advance, Li-ion Tamer is trusted by leading battery OEMs worldwide, Honeywell said.

“As lithium-ion battery use grows rapidly across data centres, EV infrastructure and grid-scale energy storage, the risk of fire is increasing in parallel,” said Billal Hammoud, President and CEO of Honeywell’s Building Automation segment.

“Li-ion Tamer’s early-warning technology has been revolutionary for our customers and partners over the last five years. Building on our legacy partnership, the acquisition of this product suite will position Honeywell as a leader in early gas detection and battery fire prevention. We expect this tuck-in acquisition to further bolster growth of our fire detection business.”

The Li-ion Tamer product portfolio, which includes more than 30 global patents, will be integrated into Honeywell’s Building Automation business, enabling the company to offer a suite of fire detection products that complement its existing advanced smoke detection technology and life safety solutions. Currently, this includes VESDA — a solution that detects the earlier signs of a potential fire — and Connected Life Safety Services, hosted on the Honeywell Forge IoT Platform and delivering the connectivity and intelligence needed for secure, compliant and efficient fire system management.

This recent acquisition follows Honeywell’s announcement of the planned spin-offs of its Aerospace Technologies and Solstice Advanced Materials businesses. Alongside the Building Automation business, this will result in three publicly listed industry segments with distinct strategies and growth drivers.

Top image credit: iStock.com/Just_Super