BIKES BATTERIES AND BLAZES SPARK CONCERN IN NYC
Techlife News|Techlife News #576
A weekend fire that injured over three dozen people and forced firefighters to use ropes to pluck people from a 20th-story window - is drawing attention to a rising concern in New York City: battery fires that can arise in the electric bikes and scooters that have proliferated here.
BIKES BATTERIES AND BLAZES SPARK CONCERN IN NYC

City officials are considering new laws after the fire department counted nearly 200 blazes and six fire deaths this year tied to problems with lithium-ion batteries in such "micromobility" devices.

WHAT ARE THESE BATTERIES? ARE THEY THE SAME TECH USED IN PHONES AND CARS?

Lithium-ion batteries are a Nobel Prize-winning innovation that entered the market in the early 1990s. Hailed as rechargeable, lightweight, powerful, durable and safe, the batteries have been envisioned as a key to greening the world's energy supply by storing energy, including from the sun, wind and other renewable sources.

The technology has woven its way into many people's everyday lives, powering phones, laptop computers, vehicles and more.

WHY CAN THEY CATCH FIRE?

The batteries' electrolyte a solution that lets electrical current flow - is flammable, explains Massachusetts Institute of Technology materials chemistry professor Dr. Donald Sadoway. The substance was chosen for its ability to handle the voltage involved, but fires can happen if the batteries are overcharged, overheated, defective or damaged, for instance.

Over the years, problems have periodically triggered fires involving laptops, cellphones, hoverboards, electric vehicles, airplanes and battery power storage installations. A U.N. aviation agency said in 2016 that lithium-ion batteries shouldn't be shipped on passenger planes.

Battery industry group leader James Greenberger notes that other energy sources aren't trouble-free, and he says there's nothing inherently unsafe about the batteries. But he said the industry is concerned about the fires lately in New York and worries that they could scare off consumers.

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة Techlife News #576 من Techlife News.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة Techlife News #576 من Techlife News.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

المزيد من القصص من TECHLIFE NEWS مشاهدة الكل
OFFSHORE WIND INDUSTRY SAYS 'MISINFORMATION' FROM FOES IS A STRONG HEADWIND IT MUST FIGHT
Techlife News

OFFSHORE WIND INDUSTRY SAYS 'MISINFORMATION' FROM FOES IS A STRONG HEADWIND IT MUST FIGHT

The U.S offshore wind energy industry says it needs to fight back against disinformation being spread by opponents of wind farms.

time-read
3 mins  |
November 02, 2024
HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF FROM SCAMMERS OFFERING FAKE JOBS
Techlife News

HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF FROM SCAMMERS OFFERING FAKE JOBS

Between finding openings, sending out your resume and interviewing, looking for a job is tough. Now a growing trend of scammers impersonating recruiters is making it even harder.

time-read
4 mins  |
November 02, 2024
HOW TO PREPARE YOUR BODY AND MIND FOR THE END OF DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME
Techlife News

HOW TO PREPARE YOUR BODY AND MIND FOR THE END OF DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME

The good news: You will get a glorious extra hour of sleep. The bad: It’ll be dark as a pocket by late afternoon for the next few months in the U.S.

time-read
2 mins  |
November 02, 2024
IN 'IBELIN' AND 'GRAND THEFT HAMLET,' VIDEO GAME REALMS DRAW FILMMAKERS WITH VIRTUAL CAMERAS
Techlife News

IN 'IBELIN' AND 'GRAND THEFT HAMLET,' VIDEO GAME REALMS DRAW FILMMAKERS WITH VIRTUAL CAMERAS

Film productions often wrestle with shifts in the weather, the threat of the crew going into overtime or the fading of a day’s light. Less common are concerns over the cast slipping off the top of a blimp.

time-read
5 mins  |
November 02, 2024
RESEARCHERS SAY AN AI-POWERED TRANSCRIPTION TOOL USED IN HOSPITALS INVENTS THINGS NO ONE EVER SAID
Techlife News

RESEARCHERS SAY AN AI-POWERED TRANSCRIPTION TOOL USED IN HOSPITALS INVENTS THINGS NO ONE EVER SAID

Tech behemoth OpenAI has touted its artificial intelligence-powered transcription tool Whisper as having near “human level robustness and accuracy.”

time-read
5 mins  |
November 02, 2024
WORLD SERIES GAME 3 AVERAGES 13.64 MILLION.BEATS 'MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL'
Techlife News

WORLD SERIES GAME 3 AVERAGES 13.64 MILLION.BEATS 'MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL'

The World Series beat “Monday Night Football” in the battle for television viewers.

time-read
1 min  |
November 02, 2024
FITNESS APP STRAVA GIVES AWAY LOCATION OF BIDEN, TRUMP AND OTHER LEADERS, FRENCH NEWSPAPER SAYS
Techlife News

FITNESS APP STRAVA GIVES AWAY LOCATION OF BIDEN, TRUMP AND OTHER LEADERS, FRENCH NEWSPAPER SAYS

An investigation by French newspaper Le Monde found that the highly confidential movements of U.S. President Joe Biden, presidential rivals Donald Trump and Kamala Harris, and other world leaders can be easily tracked online through a fitness app that their bodyguards use.

time-read
3 mins  |
November 02, 2024
GOOGLE'S MONEYMAKING MACHINE STILL PUMPING OUT MASSIVE PROFITS DESPITE MULTIPLE THREATS
Techlife News

GOOGLE'S MONEYMAKING MACHINE STILL PUMPING OUT MASSIVE PROFITS DESPITE MULTIPLE THREATS

Google is still thriving while the company navigates through a pivotal shift to artificial intelligence and battles regulators trying to topple its internet empire.

time-read
2 mins  |
November 02, 2024
ROBERT DOWNEY JR. SAYS HE 'INTENDS TO SUE' ALL FUTURE EXECUTIVES WHO USE HIS AI REPLICA
Techlife News

ROBERT DOWNEY JR. SAYS HE 'INTENDS TO SUE' ALL FUTURE EXECUTIVES WHO USE HIS AI REPLICA

Robert Downey Jr. doesn’t think Marvel executives would ever recreate his portrayal of Tony Stark using artificial intelligence. But if they did, he would lawyer up — even posthumously.

time-read
2 mins  |
November 02, 2024
APPLE LAUNCHES THE IPHONE INTO THE AI ERA WITH FREE SOFTWARE UPDATE
Techlife News

APPLE LAUNCHES THE IPHONE INTO THE AI ERA WITH FREE SOFTWARE UPDATE

Apple is releasing a free software update that will inject its first dose of artificial intelligence into its iPhone 16 lineup as the trendsetting company tries to catch up with technology’s latest craze.

time-read
3 mins  |
November 02, 2024