Primary (non-rechargeable) lithium batteries contain metallic lithium, but all lithium ion batteries in vehicles contain lithium only in ionic form. Building re

Primary (non-rechargeable) lithium batteries contain metallic lithium, but all lithium ion batteries in vehicles contain lithium only in ionic form. Building rechargeable lithium batteries with lithium metal anodes is still in the research stage. The problem with fighting lithium ion vehicle fires is heat from battery self-discharge which can cause ignition and re-ignition of the flammable liquid electrolytes inside the batteries. That's one reason researchers are also pursuing solid state lithium ion batteries: to take out the flammable liquid electrolytes that current batteries need.