[ProtectOurFreedom]

Leeham News and Comment

...the battery is of a lithium-ion design. There have been at least one and maybe two cargo aircraft (both Boeing 747-400Fs) brought down by lithium battery fires in the cargo manifests. We acknowledge that these were large quantities of batteries being shipped, but we also note that the FAA has restricted these batteries in the passenger cabin (TV camera crews, for example, now have to adjust their plans to carry camera equipment on board previously equipped with these batteries).

The FAA imposed a Special Condition regarding the use of lithium batteries on the 787.

Consumer-size LiIon batteries have been known to burst into flames...

[ProtectOurFreedom]

Lithium-Ion Batteries Hazard and Use Assessment: Final Report
July 2011, p. 31

Lithium-ion batteries have begun to replace other battery chemistries in aerospace applications. For example, in 2007, the Boeing Corporation requested a waiver from the US Federal Aviation Administration to allow use of lithium-ion batteries for powering a number of systems on the 787 Dreamliner commercial aircraft design including: the main and APU, flight control electronics, the emergency lighting system, and as an independent power supply for the flight recorder.