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Insights & Data

Browse our publicly available digital resources and research findings in our digital library of safety information.

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Data Insights

Signature Reports

The Rechargeable Society: Building Trust in a Battery-Powered World

Rechargeable batteries have become essential, bringing battery safety into new parts of everyday life, with 98% of consumers owning at least one rechargeable device.

As lithium-ion batteries power more of how we live, work, and move, the risk of thermal runaway—leading to smoke, fire, or explosion—is harder to ignore. This report examines how the Rechargeable Society reshapes daily life, its emerging safety challenges, and the vital role of standards, education, and public awareness.

The Rechargeable Society

Jeff Marootian, President and CEO of UL Standards & Engagement

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A simple, minimalist white battery icon on a light gray background, with a partially filled interior and a small circle indicating the charge level.

“Consumers want to make informed decisions, but many told us they struggled with finding clear, accessible information about lithium-ion batteries. Even basic questions around what products contain them, what risks they pose, how to travel with them, and how to maintain them often require significant research. They are often also left without instructions for managing batteries that are damaged, defective, recalled, or showing signs of thermal runaway.”

– Dr. Emily Brimsek, Senior Manager of Qualitative Insights

43%

Of consumers say they do not know what a lithium-ion battery is according to a ULSE survey.

59%

Of consumers say they are unfamiliar with strategies that can reduce the risk of thermal runaway.

56%

Of consumers report purchasing rechargeable products from online marketplaces where counterfeits can be even more difficult to spot.

98%

Of consumers owning at least one rechargeable device.

Lithium-Ion Battery Incidents in Aviation: 2025 Data Review

Rechargeable devices, such as phones, laptops, tablets, and power banks, are essential to modern air travel. But as lithium-ion batteries become more widely used in these and other consumer products, the risk of safety hazards from thermal runaway continues to grow.

UL Standards & Engagement collects thermal runaway incident data and surveys airline passengers to better understand the risks and realities of rechargeable batteries overheating in aviation settings. This report offers the third annual look at those findings.

A simple illustration of a white fish facing left, with a green circular eye and a grey shaded area around the eye, set against a transparent background.

“Every incident is a safety risk, and the trend line is moving in the wrong direction. Passengers do not need to be safety experts to reduce the risk. Keeping rechargeable devices within reach can help us all fly in safer skies.”

–Jeff Marootian, President and CEO of UL Standards & Engagement

+42%

Jump in portable charger incidents over last year, making them the leading device involved in incidents

+15%

Increase in thermal runaway incidents on passenger planes from 2024 to 2025

39%
A person sitting on an airplane charges a smartphone using a USB cable plugged into a port on the seatback in front of them. The phone is held in one hand, and a seat pocket with a mesh front is visible.

Of passengers admit to putting lithium-ion powered products in their checked luggage

How Safety Oversights of E-Mobility Riders Threaten More Lithium-Ion Battery Fires

The e-mobility device landscape in the United States, comprised primarily of e-bikes and e-scooters, is undergoing a significant expansion fueled by advances in lithium-ion batteries and the allure of convenience. 

However, amid this rapid growth has come a troubling knowledge gap, leading to misuse that increases the risk of batteries going into thermal runaway, a state of uncontrollable heat that can result in fire or explosion if the lithium-ion battery is damaged, overcharged, or defective.

E-Mobility Devices and Thermal Runaway

Thermal runaway and resulting lithium-ion battery fires are major safety threats. Learn how standards can help.

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A green arrow pointing upward overlays a gray bar chart, symbolizing growth or an increase, on a white background.

E-bikes, e-scooters, and other micromobility devices are growing rapidly in use in communities across the globe.

A simple, pixelated graphic of a white cow with a green spot near its eye, viewed from the side, on a black background.

Recent UL Standards & Engagement surveys reveal a surprising lack of understanding among e-bike and e-scooter riders about the main technology powering their devices. 

Pixel art image of a panda’s face with green eyes, black ears, and a black nose, set against a white background. The design is simple and uses minimal colors and square pixels.

These public awareness gaps and misconceptions further underscore the urgent need for education, standards, and where appropriate, policy to support safer products.

54%

Of current e-bike and e-scooter owners purchased it to support workrelated tasks such as delivery gigs.

53%

Of owners of e-bikes are unaware that their device is powered by a lithium-ion battery. 

49%

Nearly half of e-bike riders (49%) who charge at home are blocking their home’s fire exits, a contributing factor in several cases where death occurred.

41%

Of e-mobility users report routinely charging their device overnight.

Rising Incidents, Shifting Responsibility: Lithium Batteries in the Aviation Cargo Supply Chain

Cargo airlines serve as the final checkpoint before takeoff, but limited visibility into shipments and a complex supply chain can make it difficult to identify and mitigate lithium-ion battery risks. Our research reveals a supply chain strained by fragmentation, uneven accountability, and commercial pressures that prioritize speed over safety.

ULSE conducted in-depth interviews and focus groups with cargo airlines, regulators, manufacturers, freight forwarders, e-commerce stakeholders, and shippers across the global battery supply chain. Click to see interview insights:

A simple illustration of a white fish facing left, with a green circular eye and a grey shaded area around the eye, set against a transparent background.

“If you have poor quality, everything else down the road doesn’t matter because poor quality is always going to show its head.”

-Battery Manufacturer

A simple illustration of a white fish facing left, with a green circular eye and a grey shaded area around the eye, set against a transparent background.

“There should be something that I have to put on the outside of the box to let them know what’s inside, but that has never been shown or taught to me.“

-Industry Shipper

A simple illustration of a white fish facing left, with a green circular eye and a grey shaded area around the eye, set against a transparent background.

“…even if you’re properly trained, our regulations are really complicated. I think there’s deliberate noncompliance and innocent noncompliance.”

-Industry Regulator

A simple illustration of a white fish facing left, with a green circular eye and a grey shaded area around the eye, set against a transparent background.

“Regulatory authorities are really relying on carriers…to do a lot of their policing and enforcement and investigation to try and identify shippers, reject shipments, even to bar…or refuse business from certain shippers.”

-Air Cargo Operator

+40%

Increase in thermal runaway incidents in cargo aviation from 2021 to 2025

+9%

Average rate of increase in incidents per year

25%
View from inside a large cargo plane with its rear door open, showing five workers in safety vests standing on the loading ramp, looking out toward the runway and sky.

Of air cargo in the U.S. is carried on commercial passenger flights

Featured Insights & Data

60%

of Americans are unaware that lithium-ion batteries power many of the products they routinely use.

65%

Battery incidents per 100,000 airline passengers rose almost 65% over the past five years, from 2019-2023.

53%
A person’s hand plugs a charging cable into the battery of an electric bicycle, which is parked outdoors on green grass.

The majority of e-mobility device owners are unaware that their devices are powered by a lithium-ion battery.

36%

of U.S. consumers have no means of carbon monoxide detection at home.

86.2M
A smiling man holds a tablet and a young boy in a bright kitchen. Fresh vegetables, bread, and a mug are on the counter. Both look up, appearing happy and relaxed by a large window.

individuals have no means of detecting CO leaks in their homes.

Explore By Focus Area

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    Lithium-Ion Battery Incidents in Aviation: 2025 Data Review

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  • A woman and a young girl sit on a bed, smiling and packing clothes into an open suitcase together, with large windows in the background letting in natural light.

    Lithium-Ion Battery Incidents in Aviation: 2025 Data Review

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    Celebrating 25 Years of Industrial Control Panel Safety with UL 508A

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    Adhering to the WTO Technical Barriers to Trade Principles

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  • A man in a suit speaks on stage at the Singapore Battery Safety & Innovation Workshop 2024, with a large screen and event banner behind him. Attendees sit in the foreground.

    ULSE International Standards 2024: The Year in Review

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  • A document cover displaying "ANSI/CAN/UL/ULC 2580:2022," labeled as a safety standard for batteries for electric vehicles, with text in French and a note mentioning Canada and the United States.

    Avis aux Utilisateurs des Normes ULSE en Français

    Learn More

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  • An older woman in a light blue jacket stands on a tree-lined sidewalk, looking at her smartwatch, with cars and people in the blurry background.

    Reports

    The Rechargeable Society: Building Trust in a Battery-Powered World

    Learn More
  • A woman and a young girl sit on a bed, smiling and packing clothes into an open suitcase together, with large windows in the background letting in natural light.

    Reports

    Lithium-Ion Battery Incidents in Aviation: 2025 Data Review

    Learn More
  • A snowy neighborhood scene with houses, snow-covered trees, and a winding road. A green car is parked outside a house with smoke coming from the chimney. A small bridge crosses a frozen river nearby.

    Reports

    2025 Holiday Safety Guide

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  • Close-up top view of various batteries, including cylindrical AA, AAA, and a rectangular 9-volt battery, with colorful casings in yellow, green, red, and white, showing the terminals.

    Infographics

    The Safety Circuit: How Standards Help Make Batteries Safer for You

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  • A stack of various lithium-ion batteries on a table, with the text “Counterfeit Lithium-ion Cells and Batteries” and the UL Standards & Engagement logo on a green background.

    White Paper

    Counterfeit Lithium-ion Cells and Batteries

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  • A close-up of the underside of a white electronic device, showing an open battery compartment with a round CR2032 coin cell battery partially exposed and a removed cover next to it.

    Videos

    The Dangers of Counterfeit Batteries

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