Stop counting in minutes. Start looking at what truly matters. When it comes to fire safety, people often talk about “60 minutes” or “90 minutes of fire resistance.” That sounds clear and familiar, but with lithium-ion batteries, this way of thinking is no longer sufficient. At LOXXER, we deliberately do not speak about “x minutes of fire resistance.” And there is a good reason for that!

Classic fire tests: time as the benchmark
Traditional fire resistance classifications (such as EI60 or Type 90) were developed for external fire scenarios:
• The fire starts outside the cabinet
• The cabinet must withstand the fire for 60 or 90 minutes
• The test stops after a predefined time
But lithium-ion batteries behave fundamentally differently.

Lithium-ion fires: not a matter of minutes
A lithium-ion battery fire:
• Originates inside the cabinet
• Consists of thermal runaway, with multiple ignitions
• Has no fixed duration
• Can last for hours, with re-ignitions
A test that simply stops after 60 or 90 minutes therefore says nothing about what happens afterwards. 

The VDMA approach: testing realistic scenarios

That is why LOXXER follows the VDMA 24994 methodology. This approach does not focus on time, but on behavior and safety during a realistic battery incident. The cabinet is tested with:
• Battery explosions
• Thermal runaway of multiple cells
• Test duration: until the process is fully under control and the temperature drops again
 
During the test, it is checked whether:
• The structure of the cabinet remains intact
• The doors remain closed
• The external temperature remains safe
• No flames or projectiles escape

The test only ends when the danger has effectively passed!

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