Battery Lithium Manufacturers sues YouTuber who tested batteries for 3 years with Defamation

[Brucey]

Then the owner shows up who is fairly neutral at first but ...

Sounds familiar but I get it, emotions and all that stuff, but joining a diy community and 'copping a tude' is only serving to reinforce the negative perception of DCS.

Is this the same company? If so, one product does not determine the performance of every product a company puts their name on, but it does create hesitations at purchase time when considering the company's reputation for a quality product. Since the ▼below▼ unit was supposed to be sent back to the DCS factory for analysis, what was deemed the issue?


https://arena.gov.au/assets/2018/05/lithium-ion-battery-testing-public-report-12.pdf
View attachment 250484

Maybe by the time DCS Australia sent the battery back to China for analysis (as we know the actual South East Queensland "factory" is the owners house in a residential suburb) and then got results back it was too late? Sounds like other vendors promptly replaced defective batteries when notified, but DCS decided to hold them to the same ridiculously long lead time "investigations" as regular customers.

 

[Steveritchy]

I guess no answers from dcs fairy basic questions also

 

[mollymac]

@Tiktaalik

I want to bring your attention to a research paper that Brucey
recently posted in this thread. I hadn't come across it before, so I took some time to review it. The paper, titled "Thermal Runaway Characteristics and Modeling of LiFePO4 Power Battery for Electric Vehicles" (Sun et al., 2023), provides valuable insights into LFP battery safety, particularly regarding operating temperatures. While the study focuses on laboratory conditions, its findings have significant implications for automotive applications.

Key points from the paper:

1. Temperature Sensitivity: The study shows that the severity of thermal runaway (TR) in LFP batteries increases significantly with higher states of charge (SOC) and temperature. For instance, the maximum temperature rate for a 100% SOC battery was 953.2 °C/min, compared to just 1.779 °C/min for a 25% SOC battery.
2. Thermal Runaway Onset: The paper identifies key temperature thresholds:
   • T1 (onset of self-heating): ~136°C for higher SOC batteries
   • T2 (trigger of thermal runaway): ~220-230°C
   • T3 (maximum temperature): Increases dramatically with SOC, reaching 619.9°C for 100% SOC
3. SOC Impact: The study demonstrates that batteries at higher SOC levels are more susceptible to severe thermal runaway.
4. Five-Stage TR Process: The researchers identified a five-stage thermal runaway process, with each stage characterized by different reaction kinetics and temperature profiles.

While the paper doesn't directly address automotive applications, its findings have implications for such use:

1. High-temperature environments: In automotive settings, batteries can be exposed to high ambient temperatures, especially in hot climates or during intense use.
2. Fully charged state: Vehicles often have fully charged batteries, which the study shows are more susceptible to thermal runaway.
3. High-current applications: Automotive uses like winching require high current draw, which could potentially accelerate heat generation in already hot batteries. (again for automotive engineering purposes we use 80°Cto120°C)
4. Safety risks: The extreme temperatures reached during thermal runaway (up to 619.9°C in the study) pose severe safety risks in a vehicle environment.

Separately from this paper, it's worth noting that there are industry standards for battery safety. For instance, IEC 62619:2017 specifies temperature limits for LFP batteries:

• Charging: 0°C to 55°C
• Discharging: -20°C to 60°C
• Intended use in environments not exceeding 60°C

Given that DCS seems to be advertising and using their batteries well outside these typical safe operating temperatures, I must again request that you provide the safety and data sheets for the specific cells used in the DCS batteries. These documents are crucial for understanding how DCS can justify operating temperatures that seem to far exceed typical safe ranges for LFP cells.

Can you please share these cell manufacturer-provided safety and data sheets? This information would greatly help in reconciling DCS's claims with established safety standards and the findings of this recent research.

 

[Steveritchy]

No question answered such a weak company that needs to be shut down

 

[mollymac]

In a candid video teardown, an Australian-based electrical engineer provides a thorough examination of a DCS battery, sharing both praise and criticism. The engineer highlights points out several design flaws and areas for improvement. This unfiltered review offers valuable insights into the battery's inner workings and potential limitations.

 

[DIYrich]

No just a question I’m disappointed with how DCS has treated me I offered my car to be examined they didn’t want to. They wanted me to send the battery back to be looked at then they send the battery to China to a facility that doesn’t even examine a battery in that condition and that took nearly 8 months i’m just curious what you’re processes is because DCS in Queensland clearly have no idea now they don’t reply to anything

They wanted to get the battery so that you couldn't use it as evidence in a suit against them. Now it is in China. Good luck getting it back.

 

[Sharky722]

Update 11/3/25.
Stefan's won the case so far.
It was dismissed and they have 30d to appeal.

 

[Brucey]

Update 11/3/25.
Stefan's won the case so far.
It was dismissed and they have 30d to appeal.

Nice! Does the losing party have to pay costs?

 

[Sharky722]

Nice! Does the losing party have to pay costs?

That will be a separate application for costs, it's not automatic.

 

[wattmatters]

That will be a separate application for costs, it's not automatic.

Yep, you quite possibly end up going to another court hearing to argue costs. Which itself costs $.

Winning is expensive, losing is catastrophic.

 

[WorldwideDave]

Boy thanks for the update on the case - had kind of forgotten about it until you brought this thread back to life.