Something that I feel was missed as part of the overall discussion…there are different Wh ratings and which you use makes a difference. This is certainly true if saying a particular method is wrong/right.
Minimum = Minimum Guaranteed Capacity x Nominal Voltage x Cell Count
Typical = Typical Capacity x Nominal Voltage x Cell Count
Nominal = Nominal Capacity x Nominal Voltage x Cell Count
Real World Wh = Actual delivered Wh at different discharge current levels. This is the “area under the curve” if plotting a Voltage vs Capacity discharge graph. There is no nominal voltage or capacity.
Typical and Nominal are often the same.
IMO, the airlines use one of these two calculation methods. The capacity and nominal voltage numbers are easy for them to get as they are often required to be on the cell label/wrap.
Nothing here guarantees any degree of accuracy, IMO just the origins of the specs.
There’s also the layer of practical experience on a per airport/security agent basis.
There are some segmented battery setups that pass through as-is with no trouble at every airport (the VXWheel gentleman has and is still traveling globally through major airports with his setup) and there are some factory produced packs with markings just at or near the published limits for Wh, that get turned away.
Got through a flight with my board and batteries a week ago.
Yes, usually for most airline companies you can bring any number of spare batteries under 100wh, and 2 batteries 100-160wh in the carry on.
But airline rules don’t really matter, cause the person on the xray who is not affiliated with airline will decide your fate.
My batteries are 112wh, airline allows 2x <160wh that must go in the carry on.
But this time xray guys sent me back to check my batteries in. So I just checked in a backpack with 2 skateboard batteries and a bunch of drone lipos.
Yea, I tried explaining that and showed them the airline website with the rules, but they said “just check it in”.
I’ve flown a few times with lipos before. Once I got stopped for about half an hour while they were calling someone and figuring out the rules. But I always got lipos through in carry on, this was first time I was told to check them in. And one of my FPV-buddies was forced to throw away lipos.
So it entirely depends on the security and how they interpret the rules.
