Reply #21: Please see post #32 for films of burning lithium batteries in airports and in FAA films.

[NNadir]

Looking at the film, I would expect that a runaway melting battery at 55 mph would leave bits of molten burning metal in a stream under the car. The biggest risk would be having your tire roll over one and have the tire melt or catch fire.

Lithium containing alloys are often group I and group II metals, and often, as shown in the film (about 8 minutes in) halon extinguishers only make things worse, and even ice, makes it worse. Under these conditions, when hot, lithium reacts with water to give hydrogen and can reignite.

(Lithium is the least reactive group I metal, though.)

Thanks for your kind words.