lithium-ion batteries

Stories 21 - 40 | << Prev   Next >>

A Peaceful Snooze on a Plane, Then an Explosion

Woman's headphones caught fire as she flew from Beijing to Melbourne in February

(Newser) - A flight from Beijing to Melbourne, Australia, turned terrifying last month when a woman's headphones exploded midflight, burning her hands, face, and hair, the Sydney Morning Herald reports. The unidentified woman had dozed off a couple of hours into the Feb. 19 flight while wearing the headphones, and per...

Go Ahead, Bend Panasonic's New Battery Over and Over

Flexible battery made for watches now, perhaps smartphones down the line

(Newser) - A flexible lithium-ion battery that can be used in a wide array of consumer devices may be closer to market than ever. At the Ceatac technology expo in Japan, Panasonic showed off its new bendable battery, for now designed for "card-type and wearable devices" such as watches and fitness...

Cyclist Burned After He Falls on His iPhone

Australian Gareth Clear has third-degree burns on his butt

(Newser) - Sydney cyclist Gareth Clear was riding his bike with his iPhone 6 in his back pocket over the weekend when his foot slipped off the pedal and he lost his balance and fell—all par for the course for riders of any level. But he was not expecting his phone...

Family Says Toddler's Shoes Burst Into Flame

They were powered by lithium batteries

(Newser) - A Texas couple is warning parents about light-up shoes after their 2-year-old son's pair apparently burst into flame. Attila and Jovan Virag say they found a fire in the backseat of their SUV on Saturday. When the flames were extinguished, there was a hole in the floor, a melted...

How Portobello Mushrooms May Power Your Phone

Their porous structure is key

(Newser) - It isn't happening just yet, but a new scientific paper shows that it's possible, and perhaps even advantageous, to make batteries out of organic biological materials that have the added benefit of being cheap, environmentally friendly, and easy to produce, reports CNET . Engineers at the University of California,...

New Battery Could Charge Smartphone in 60 Seconds

Aluminum-ion battery is also greener, inventors say

(Newser) - Designers of a new aluminum-ion battery say it could charge a smartphone in about a minute and endure far more rechargings than today's lithium-ion batteries. Only problem is it has about half the voltage, Stanford University reports via the Telegraph . "Otherwise, our battery has everything else you'd...

Apple Accused of Poaching Electric-Battery Engineers

It's another sign the company is trying to build a car

(Newser) - The big rumor in Silicon Valley is that Apple is trying to build an electric car . And while the company isn't confirming, a new lawsuit sure seems to support the idea. Reuters reports that a company named A123 Systems is suing Apple for poaching its engineers. And what does...

New Batteries Take 2 Minutes to Recharge 70%

And they last 20 years

(Newser) - In a piece of good news for both the environment and impatient people, scientists in Singapore are announcing a rechargeable lithium-ion battery that takes only two minutes to reach a 70% charge. What's more, the batteries last about 20 years, Science Daily reports. The key to the quick charge...

Tesla Planning Massive Battery 'Gigafactory'

States likely to fight over $5 billion project

(Newser) - Elon Musk is working up plans for a battery factory so vast that Tesla Motors has come up with a new name for it: the "gigafactory." Tesla will invest between $4 billion and $5 billion in what it believes will be the world's biggest battery plant, Bloomberg...

Dreamliner's New Battery to Get Thumbs Up: Report

Dreamliners could fly again as early as May

(Newser) - The Boeing 787 Dreamliner could soon be flying again as the FAA is poised to announce an end to the plane's three-month grounding, perhaps as early as today, reports the Wall Street Journal . The FAA last month approved Boeing's planned fix to its fire-plagued lithium-ion batteries; it's...

US OKs Dreamliner Battery Fix
 US OKs Dreamliner Battery Fix 
Mar 13, 2013 12:03 AM CDT

US OKs Dreamliner Battery Fix

But no word on when 787s could be flying again

(Newser) - A Boeing plan to redesign the 787 Dreamliner's fire-plagued lithium-ion batteries has won approval from the Federal Aviation Administration, although officials gave no estimate for when the planes would be allowed to fly passengers again. The 787 fleet worldwide has been grounded by the FAA and civil aviation authorities...

Airbus Nixes Lithium-Ion Batteries for Latest Plane

Concerns over Boeing 787 lead Airbus to scrap controversial battery

(Newser) - Airbus abandoned its plans to use lithium-ion batteries for its new A350 airplanes due to the uncertainty surrounding the technology following the grounding of Boeing's 787, the company said. The European aerospace group said yesterday it would revert to conventional nickel-cadmium batteries for the A350. The plane is a...

Boeing Tries Battery Fix to Get Dreamliners Airborne

FAA allows one 787 to fly for one trip

(Newser) - Boeing is hoping changes to its controversial lithium-ion batteries will get the FAA to lift the grounding order on the 787 Dreamliner, at least until it figures out a longer-term fix, reports the Wall Street Journal . American and Japanese regulators will have to accept Boeing's modifications—and the Journal ...

Boeing Investigators: We're Just Stumped

But FAA might let company conduct test flights

(Newser) - Bad news for Boeing: Two months later, investigators are still scratching their heads over those overheating lithium-ion batteries , the Wall Street Journal reports. Their intense investigation, involving the National Transportation Safety Board, Japanese experts, and outreach to the US Navy and Department of Energy, has not added to last month'...

Boeing Knew of Dreamliner Battery Woes Before Fire

ANA, JAL had to replace them multiple times

(Newser) - Boeing knew it had a big problem with the lithium-ion batteries in its 787 Dreamliners well before a fire prompted safety inquiries and the worldwide grounding of its prize aircraft , the New York Times reports. Officials at All Nippon Airways, which has the world's largest fleet of 787s, say...

Without Answers, 787 Probe Could Stretch Into 'Weeks'

Safety systems 'did not work as intended,' says NTSB official

(Newser) - The bad news keeps coming for Boeing, whose 787 Dreamliner fleet remains grounded—US investigators still don't know what caused the battery fire in a Jan. 7 fire in Boston, reports Reuters . The National Transportation Safety Board says it has found a series of "symptoms" in the battery,...

Boeing Battery-Fire Probe Gets Tricky

Two investigations go in different directions

(Newser) - Looks like Boeing has a bigger headache than it expected, the Wall Street Journal reports. The National Transportation Safety Board released a statement yesterday saying that the first 787-airliner fire this month was caused by a battery that "did not exceed its designed voltage"—while Japanese investigators looking...

Behind Dreamliner's Woes: Lithium Batteries

Leaks can cause all kinds of damage: experts

(Newser) - Just weeks ago, the Wall Street Journal warned of the dangers of lithium batteries —and lo and behold, the batteries have taken center stage in a string of Boeing 787 mishaps. Leaky batteries are a significant fire risk, as emphasized in a blaze that lasted 40 minutes in Boston...

Hidden Danger Aboard Planes: Lithium Batteries

 Hidden Danger 
 Aboard Planes: 
 Lithium Batteries 
in case you missed it
Jan 5, 2013 7:59 AM CST

Hidden Danger Aboard Planes: Lithium Batteries

Shipments suspected in 2 jet crashes

(Newser) - The new year brings new shipping standards for lithium batteries—and though they're designed to improve safety, the new rules may not be enough to protect us. The Wall Street Journal explains that the batteries can "spontaneously ignite" if they're damaged or overheated, which is exactly what...

Tsunami Survivors: Nissan Leaf Batteries

Two dozen cars destroyed, but batteries came through safely

(Newser) - Nissan is getting some good news from the tsunami that devastated Japan in March: Two dozen of Nissan's new Leaf were destroyed, but unlike the Chevrolet Volt , their heavily shielded batteries did not catch fire and remained intact. “Considering how they were tossed around and crushed, we think...

Stories 21 - 40 | << Prev   Next >>