Hi kiskaloo...
from the article you cite...
More than 100 of the lithium-ion batteries have failed and had to be returned to the Japanese manufacturer, according to a person inside the 787 program with direct knowledge.
my bold...
That would not be for recharging right? In other parts of the article
Because lithium-ion batteries can be dangerously volatile if undercharged, as well as when overcharged, an automatic cutoff is built into the 787 batteries so that if the charge falls below 15 percent of full, the battery locks.
So all the dead 787 batteries have been shipped back to Japan and replacements have had to be sent from there.
Pretty expensive charge, shipping, sole source tariffs, down time.
I still think, from reading the Exponent analysis, that Yuasa batteries, perhaps all batteries of this type, plate metallic Lithium at the Anode, when discharging even above 15% of FULL SOC. Is there even an industry standard? If the flow is discharge, does the dendrite process ennable even at 100% SOC?
One battery, in a series of eight, FAILS the Back Up utility of the system, by regulation, and the reliability issue steps in front of the fire.
Replacing 150 batteries for non performing reliability is more an issue than the occasional fire.
Sounds crazy, but fire is not really the fatal flaw.