PACT® Lion-X Stomps Out Thermal Runaway in EV Charging and More

February 18, 2026

By Krystie Johnston 

PACT Lion-X^TM takes its place as king of fire-extinguishing liquids that prevent thermal runaway and fire explosions caused by equipment containing lithium-ion batteries

There is a lot to unpack with PACT’s latest solution, PACT® Lion-X^TM. Rodger Mort, Chief Operating Officer at PACT (Packaging And Crating Technologies), describes it as “A fire extinguishing agent that puts out lithium batteries on contact. And keeps them out.” He says that rechargeable lithium-ion batteries are common in many electrical devices that we use daily, but there is a hidden danger: thermal runaway.  

Thermal runaway 

Thermal runaway is a phenomenon in which a lithium-ion cell enters an uncontrollable, self-heating state caused by extremely high temperatures, and can result in the ejection of toxic gas, shrapnel, fire, and/or smoke. Mort says it can start with a single battery cell but can cause a domino effect when adjacent cells become overheated. As the heat climbs (<200°F), it reaches a point where it off gases and explodes – which can be incredibly dangerous and unpredictable. He says PACT® Lion-X^TM can envelop these cells, eliminate the heat, and protect unaffected cells from thermal runaway, and subsequent damage.

PACT® Lion-X^TM and EV charging applications 

EVES (Electrical Vehicle Equipment + Systems) was interested to learn about how PACT® Lion-X^TM can apply to EV charging equipment, so Mort started off by explaining EVs and the batteries that power them. “Underneath your car, you may have up to 5,000 of these little cells that are all storing energy. You only need one to go off. And when that does, it will set off 10, 20, 50, or 100, and then burn the whole car.” He adds that Lithium-ion batteries harness a lot of energy and can go into thermal runaway if banged, hit, or heated. But it does not have to end this way. 

Watch this video to see PACT® Lion-X^TM stomp out a lithium-Ion battery fire.

PACT® Lion-X^TM is a specialized, water-based, fire extinguishing foam that instantly contains and destroys deadly fires involving lithium-ion batteries, battery packs, and chargers. PACT® Lion-X^TM can be used in multiple ways: Mort’s vision is to have a tank of extinguishing solution stored in the trunk of the EV that will deploy automatically when sensors sitting atop the cells detect temperatures above 180°F. And, he wants to see tanks of PACT® Lion-X^TM available beside EV charging stations – like fire extinguishers that are commonplace at gas and petrol stations for internal combustion engine vehicles.  

PACT® Lion-X^TM handles the heat 

Mort believes PACT® Lion-X^TM can make a difference when something goes wrong. “During normal charging, these cells never heat up over 180°F. So, if you are driving, or you are charging, and all of a sudden one of these cells passes the 200°F mark, it is time to hit it with the Lion-X^TM. Keep it from doing the first stage of off-gassing and exploding. And just shut it off right at that point,” Mort says.

“Even if you over charge your car, it is not all the cells that go off. It is one weak one out of the group – they are built to handle the overcharge – but that one weak cell goes off and starts a chain reaction – which usually burns the entire car.”

Mort says that it usually takes 30 hours to burn the whole car. Sometimes, just letting it burn is the ‘best’ solution available. He says that in America, when there is an EV fire, firefighters usually throw water on it or use a water-based product that has an additive in it – but it does not cool the cells that have not gone off, so the chain reaction described above continues. And in Europe, Mort says that when there is an EV car accident – whether the vehicle has gone into thermal runaway or not – responders show up with a dumpster, pick the vehicle up and place it inside the dumpster, and leave it completely submerged in water for about 30 days.  

A journey ongoing, creating solutions 

You might be wondering how a company involved with packaging and crating became involved in developing an EV fire extinguishing solution. The short version goes something like this: Mort’s company became involved because cargo ships carrying EV batteries kept catching on fire and either emptying their contained cargo into the ocean or sinking because the fires burned a hole through the ship. He said he had to get involved.

Mort says PACT is a solutions company. So, to solve this problem, they created a paper that could be wrapped around the battery cells that extinguished a lithium-ion battery fire and prevented thermal runaway. This is PACT® ThermoShield^TM, a lightweight, paper-based, fire-suppressant wrap that controls lithium battery thermal runaway when travelling, shipping, storing, or disposing of products containing lithium-ion batteries.  

Eventually, fire companies started calling and asking if that technology could be used as a fire extinguisher. “This started in 2022, and it took us until about 2024 to come up with the concept and start testing it. And now, we have been through more than 30 tests, and it puts it out every time.” Mort says they are currently working on achieving a number of certifications for the PACT® Lion-X^TM and will make an announcement once they are acquired. Mort also sees additional potential applications for this product, including battery energy storage systems – and more.

Take aways 

PACT® Lion-X^TM beings working immediately once sprayed onto a lithium-ion battery fire. In fact, it can quench fires upwards of 1,600°F – typically within 30 seconds – and it transforms the smoke from these fires into benign byproducts that continue to cool surfaces. It can handle multiple classes of fires, making it the only extinguishing agent needed for most situations. And PACT Lion-X is so safe that it can be used without the need for personal protective equipment (PPE). 

Interested in learning more about PACT® Lion-X^TM ? Visit their website today.

Related Story

PACT Lion-X: A New Weapon to Fight Deadly Lithium-Ion Battery Fires

Now, manufacturing experts Packaging and Crating Technologies (PACT^®), LLC. and Fireproof Solutions, Inc have collaborated to create a powerful new invention that extinguishes lithium-ion battery fires quickly, safely, and neatly.

The two company leaders announced on November 14, 2025, the launch of PACT Lion-X^TM, the world’s (they claim) first specialized fire extinguishing agent that instantly contains and destroys deadly fires involving lithium-ion batteries, battery packs and chargers, a current global crisis.