Man Hospitalised After Power Bank Explodes In His Pocket at Bedok Hawker Centre

Boon Hun

2019-01-13 , 9:55 am

My mama once told me, Never buy an e-bike. It’ll explode on you.

And no matter how much I try to convince her otherwise, she still won’t give the money to “her useless bum of a son”.

But if you want, I can get you a power bank. They’re safe and they help me make sure you’re contactable.

Yes, she cares.

Not really, I just love calling you and screaming your ears off to vent.

But putting aside our loving relationship, there’s one thing she’s wrong about.

Powerbanks do explode.

Man’s Power Bank Explodes in Pocket at Bedok Hawker Centre

On 11 January 2019, a man’s power bank unexpectedly exploded in his pocket.

Witnesses to the incident said that they saw grey smoke and could smell the burning stench of chemicals in the air.

The man suffered burns on his hands when he removed the device from his pocket.

It was clear from the man’s expression that he was in a lot of pain and passers-by helped wrap ice around his hand with a plastic wrap.

Man Was Using His Phone With Charger Connected

The SCDF was alerted to the incident at around 6:40 p.m. at Block 209 New Upper Changi Road.

The man, who is in his 40s, is immediately conveyed to Changi General Hospital.

A duck rice stall assistant, Huang Jia Qiang, told Lianhe Wanbao that he saw the man using his phone while eating, with the phone connected to the power bank in his pocket.

This Isn’t The First Exploding Power Bank For 2019

Just 5 days before, a power bank exploded somewhere even more dangerous.

On a plane packed with flight crew and passengers.

On 6 Jan, it was reported that a power bank reported exploded into flames on a Royal Brunei flight.

The plane was flying from Hong Kong to Bandar Seri Begawan.

Thankfully, the crew kept calm and followed standard operating procedures, and managed to put out what is believed to be a small fire easily.

The plane landed at their destination as scheduled and there were no injuries reported.

What Causes Power Banks To Explode?

So with all these incidents, you’ve got to wonder. Why do power banks explode?

According to online techies, there are three reasons why they explode.

1: Bad Battery Quality

The most commonly used batteries in power banks are Lithium-ion batteries and Lithium Polymer batteries.

To cut cost, brands might go for fake or recycled batteries in their products.

Which is why they’re able to sell you a 10,000 mAH power bank at $3.99.

So if you’re looking to buy a new power bank, always remember, the consequence of going for a cheaper power bank might not be as simple as having to change it within 3 months.

2: Inefficient Circuit Design

If your power bank is designed well, it’ll be able to prevent overheating, overvoltage and short circuit.

So if yours isn’t designed well, then, llst (lan lan suck thumb).

After all, not all of us have x-ray eyes. And even if we do, the inside of a power bank’s probably the last place you’d peek at.

So go for a reputable brand the next time.

3: User Problem

Do not place your power bank in extreme environments like places with high temperature (your car) or humidity.

Of course, when you’re charging your device, it might be ideal to take the power bank out of your pocket in order to let the heat dissipate.

If not, it might just overheat and, well, explode.

Lesson?

If you still don’t get it, here’s a simple sentence to sum it up: get a quality power bank and not some cheapo one. You might save some money with a cheap one but you never know when it’s become a Samsung Note 7.