Technology competition among manufacturers is intensifying as makers of power banks, electric bicycles and electric scooters work to lower fire risks in products that consumers use every day.
Manufacturers of battery-powered goods are rolling out products designed either to suppress heat buildup or to limit the damage from thermal runaway, industry officials said on the 25th, following a string of incidents in which power banks overheated or emitted smoke on aircraft and subways.
Anker, a power bank maker, recently launched the MagGo Power Bank 2 Pro, which carries a smart cooling fan to address overheating. The device automatically detects charging and heat conditions and adjusts the fan's rotation speed to cut the heat generated during wireless charging. "Consumers have become sensitive to overheating recently, so we applied a cooling fan to improve it," an Anker official said. "It can reduce heat generation compared with conventional wireless charging, which tends to run hot."
Personal mobility companies are also developing technology to strengthen battery safety. Alton applied lithium manganese iron phosphate (LMFP) batteries, which offer improved thermal stability, to its electric bicycles early this year. The company said LMFP batteries lower the risk of thermal runaway while improving range and charging life compared with conventional lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries. Electric bicycles using the battery have accounted for 19% of Alton's total bicycle sales since their release, and the company's overall second-quarter revenue rose 29.1% from a year earlier.
Electric scooter maker Gcoo unveiled the Upgrade Gcoo, a new model designed to vent internal gas to the outside when thermal runaway occurs, reducing the risk of explosion. Rather than suppressing battery overheating, the product focuses on minimizing damage once thermal runaway begins. Gcoo also operates a battery subscription service for electric bicycles that uses external battery swap stations instead of indoor charging. Users of the safety-focused service rose 391% in the first half of this year from a year earlier.
As battery use spreads across daily life, safety technology to prevent fires is growing more important. Battery-related fires in South Korea, including those involving general batteries and capacitors, rose to 706 in 2025 from 543 in 2024 and 359 in 2023, roughly doubling in two years, according to the National Fire Agency.
"Companies are developing technology to reduce the risk of thermal runaway, but lithium-ion batteries structurally carry risks of heat buildup and thermal runaway," said Chae Jin, a professor of fire and disaster prevention at Mokwon University. "Along with technology development, safety measures must be put in place so that thermal runaway can be dealt with quickly if it occurs in actual use."