Re:Ultimately, I think we need better chemistry .. (Score 1)

Or a better shutdown mechanizm, The separator paper used in the anode material in the battery is suppost to be sufficient enough to melt and chemically disable the battery before a critical situation like that can occur. My guess, is for cost concerns less of that separator were used, or the battery took quite a bit more abuse than anybody is letting on. I work at a plant that makes these things, and while they are quite unstable, and boy do even the smallest cells make a big flame, they are also quite resiliant once they have been sealed, and when made properly they resist improper handling quite a bit better than lead acid variety.