Welcome to Episode 3 of our essential 5-part interview series with Michal Sastinsky, Co-Founder and CEO of BatteryCheck, hosted by Onno Ebbens. After exploring the current state of battery knowledge and the importance of monitoring, we now tackle the most practical question: What should you do—and what should you absolutely never do—when it comes to battery management?

This episode gets straight to the point with actionable guidance that every captain, crew member, yacht owner, and maritime professional needs to know. Michal distills years of IoT industry experience (16+ years), battery expertise (8 years), and data analytics knowledge (6 years) into six critical rules that can prevent costly failures, extend battery life, and most importantly—keep you safe.

Michal Sastinsky isn’t just another consultant. With over 16 years in the IoT industry, 8 years specializing in batteries and energy storage, and 6 years in data analytics, he brings real-world expertise from hundreds of battery deployments across maritime and other industries. BatteryCheck exists because these lessons matter—and mistakes can be catastrophic.

When comparing two batteries—one cheap, one expensive—the difference isn’t always in the battery cells themselves. Often, the savings come from cutting corners on critical components: inferior cabling, substandard casing, poor thermal management, and inadequate battery monitoring systems.

 

Remember: The fleeting satisfaction of a low purchase price vanishes the moment inferior batteries create operational problems or safety hazards. Whether it’s vessels, gadgets, sensors, or water toys—buy from known, reputable suppliers with proven track records.

This might sound simple, but our industry survey revealed a surprising gap: many maritime professionals don’t have a complete inventory of batteries on their vessels.

Different Battery Chemistries: You might have 20-30 lithium battery-powered devices on board, plus traditional lead-acid batteries (still a fantastic technology for certain applications). Each chemistry has different characteristics, risks, and maintenance requirements.

Why This Matters: If something goes wrong, you need to know immediately what type of battery is involved and where it’s located. In an emergency, this knowledge could save lives.

Battery technology is powerful, enabling the electric revolution in maritime operations. But with that power comes responsibility.

The Goal: Create a culture where everyone understands that batteries are fantastic technology that requires respect, proper handling, and awareness. Knowledge prevents accidents.

Why This Is Non-Negotiable: Once these symptoms appear, thermal runaway has already begun. You have reached the point of no return. There is no fixing it. There is no “let me just check.” There is no time to troubleshoot.

The Reality Check: On a vessel, people might be below deck, in cabins, or in machinery spaces. In seconds, a thermal runaway can escalate to catastrophic fire or explosion. At home, children or family members might be sleeping in other rooms.

Bottom line: If it cracks, smells, or smokes—RUN. Just run.

Don’t Charge in the Sun: You just spent an hour running your jet ski or e-foil. The battery is hot. It’s noon, and the sun is blazing down. This is the worst possible time to charge.

Don’t Charge in Extreme Cold: Cold temperatures also stress batteries. Charging in freezing conditions can cause internal damage, reduce capacity, and create safety risks.

Temperature Sweet Spot: Most lithium batteries operate best between 10°C and 30°C (50°F – 86°F). Extreme heat or cold during charging accelerates degradation and increases failure risk.

Remember: How you use—and misuse—your batteries has an enormous effect on battery life and safety. Proper charging practices are non-negotiable.

The Black Box Problem: Batteries are essentially black boxes—we can’t see what’s happening inside. Dangerous processes can be developing internally with no external warning signs until it’s too late.

The Parallel: We monitor our children, our engine temperatures, our fuel levels, our navigation systems. Why would we leave batteries—with their enormous energy storage and potential risks—completely unmonitored?

Battery technology enables the future of maritime operations, but only when handled properly. These six rules aren’t theoretical—they’re based on real-world incidents, data from thousands of batteries, and lessons learned from failures that should never have happened.

The good news? Following these do’s and don’ts dramatically reduces risk, extends battery life, prevents expensive failures, and keeps everyone safe.

Don’t let knowledge gaps put your vessel, crew, or investment at risk. These 9 minutes could be the most important battery education you receive this year.

Duration: 9 minutes of potentially life-saving insights