Areas of expertise
A grid-scale storage fire and an e-bike fire share chemistry but little else — different failure modes, different evidence, different responsible parties. Energy Forensics Group matches the investigation to the technology and to the legal question you need answered, whether you're pursuing recovery or defending a product.
Micromobility
Now one of the fastest-growing causes of fatal residential fires. These packs are often charged unattended indoors and overnight — so origin, ignition sequence, and the charging setup are almost always central questions.
Aftermarket and replacement batteries, mismatched or uncertified chargers, damaged cells, and low-quality imported packs all drive these events. We work to separate a genuine product defect from misuse, incompatible components, or prior physical abuse.
Cordless & consumer packs
Cordless tool packs live hard lives — dropped, over-discharged, exposed to heat and debris, and charged on job sites. That makes the abuse-versus-defect question especially sharp, and especially important to both sides of a claim.
We evaluate whether a cell or pack failed because of a design or manufacturing defect, a charger fault, or external abuse and damage — and document the evidence so the finding survives scrutiny in subrogation or product-defense.
Grid & behind-the-meter
Residential and grid-scale storage losses are large, technically complex, and still served by very few qualified experts. This is where a background in designing and building battery systems matters most.
When a storage system burns, the decisive questions are usually about propagation and controls: why a single cell or module failure was not contained, what the BMS and safety systems did or failed to do, and whether installation and code compliance played a role. We combine physical evidence with available system data to reconstruct the failure path.
Electric mobility
Electric vehicles, conversions, and larger mobility platforms bring high-energy packs, sophisticated battery-management electronics, and difficult questions about charging, collision damage, and thermal runaway in a traction battery.
We assess whether a fire originated in the traction pack, the charging system, or elsewhere in the vehicle, and how prior impact or water intrusion may have set the stage — documenting the basis for the opinion at each step.
Everyday devices
Laptops, phones, tablets, vapes, toys, hoverboards, and countless other rechargeable products fail in the home and workplace — often with a small cell at the origin and a large loss downstream.
These matters turn on precise origin work: locating the specific device and cell responsible, then determining whether a defect, a counterfeit or substandard cell, or a charging fault drove the event.
How we work
Every engagement follows the systematic approach of NFPA 921 — hypotheses tested against physical evidence, documented so the reasoning is transparent and reproducible.
Secure the scene and evidence, establish chain of custody, and capture the conditions before anything is disturbed.
Scene analysis, teardown, imaging, and — where warranted — exemplar and comparison testing of cells and components.
Develop and test failure hypotheses against the evidence to isolate origin, mechanism, and contributing factors.
A clear, thoroughly documented written report — with support through discovery, deposition, and trial as the matter requires.
Describe the loss and we'll tell you how we'd approach it — and what to preserve right now.
