Battery
Latest
Apple gets $113 million slap on the wrist for 'Batterygate'
Apple has agree to settle the multi-state “Baterygate” lawsuit filed against it for $113 million, according to the Washington Post. In addition to the fine, Apple will be required to clarify how it handles battery health and power management to consumers, both online and on the device itself.
iPhone 12 teardown reveals how 5G has changed things
An iFixit teardown of the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro reveals how their logic boards have grown to accommodate 5G chips, and the batteries have gotten smaller.
Ikea will stop selling non-rechargeable alkaline batteries by October 2021
The days of strolling into an Ikea and plopping down a few dollars for a 10-pack of Alkalisk batteries are coming to an end. The Swedish furniture-and-meatball purveyor announced earlier this morning that, due to concerns over waste and sustainability, it plans to stop selling nearly all non-rechargeable batteries around the world by October 2021.
Nissan's Re-Leaf prototype is a mobile power supply for disaster response
Nissan's all-electric Re-Leaf is an EV designed to provide a mobile power supply during disaster recovery.
Tesla lays out 'Battery Day' plans that lead to a $25,000 electric car
Tesla CEO Elon Musk teased a $25,000 EV in the company's future, built on new batteries that are cheaper to make and more efficient.
This tiny robotic beetle travels for two hours without a battery
This tiny, autonomous robotic beetle runs on liquid methanol.
Qualcomm's Quick Charge 5 promises more power and super fast speeds
It’s been three years since Qualcomm last announced a new generation of its Quick Charge technology, and the company has updates today that might make juicing up your phones even breezier than before. Quick Charge 5 promises to charge devices to 50 percent in just 5 minutes, and supports more than 100W of charging power in a smartphone, which the company says is the first time for a “commercially viable fast charging platform.” While Qualcomm didn’t specify a battery size in its claim, footnotes in the company’s press release state that it ran tests on a 4,500mAh cell.
You can now apply for your $25 iPhone 'batterygate' compensation
Current and former iPhone owners in the US can now stake their claim in Apple's 500 million batterygate settlement.
Rad Power launches a lightweight e-bike for $999
Rad Power Bike's latest model costs less and weighs less.
Ford's Mustang Mach-E uses the cloud to predict range more precisely
Ford will try to reduce range anxiety for buyers of its electric Mustang Mach-E by predicting the range more precisely. It unveiled a new feature called Intelligent Range, which will calculate how far you can go based on factors like driving behavior, weather forecasts and crowdsourced data from other Mach-E vehicles.
EV battery maker says its new cells can last a million miles
CATL says its new EV battery will last for a million miles. Tesla will put them in its new Chinese-made Model 3 sedans.
Mophie's latest battery bank can charge itself wirelessly
Mophie's new Powerstation Wireless XL battery bank can not only charge your devices wirelessly, but charge itself that way too.
Tesla has applied for a license to become a UK energy provider
Tesla has applied for a licence to become an energy provider in the UK, according to the Telegraph. That means it may bring it’s lithium-ion PowerPack battery technology to Britain, much as it did with its 100 megawatt Hornsdale PowerPack installation in south Australia.
The Pixel 3a XL is down to $350 at B&H
B&H Photo Video is selling the Pixel 3a XL unlocked for $350 -- that’s a $130 savings.
BYD's safety-oriented EV battery is less likely to catch fire
However much safer electric cars might be than their gas counterparts, they can still catch fire -- and BYD wants to reduce the chances of that happening. It will soon roll out a Blade Battery that's meant to be safer without compromising performance. Its high temperature for exothermic reactions, low (and slow) heat release and lack of oxygen release combine to form an energy pack that shouldn't "easily" catch fire. A nail puncture test didn't even significantly raise the temperature of the battery (it didn't venture above 140F), let alone set it ablaze. It also avoided fires due to bending, crushing, overcharging and overheating.
iFixit's MacBook Air teardown confirms 0.5mm thicker keyboard
If you've been lucky enough to get your hands on the new MacBook Air, you know that the keyboard really is excellent. Thanks to the scissor mechanism, which replaced the hated butterfly keyboard, the keys are noticeably cushier, with more travel. iFixit took a closer look at those keys in its latest teardown and reports that the height difference is about 0.5 millimeters.
GM's cheaper, adaptable Ultium batteries are key to its EV future
The success of an electric car frequently revolves around its batteries, and GM is determined to have some of the best. It just revealed new Ultium batteries that it claims will deliver the range and performance to make EVs practical for "nearly every customer." Their pouch-like cells can be stacked both horizontally and vertically, allowing GM to cram more storage into a given space and accommodate a wide range of vehicles. The batteries can range from 50kWh to 200kWh, or enough to deliver as much as 400 miles of range and 0-60MPH in 3 seconds -- conveniently, the same acceleration as the upcoming Hummer EV.
Apple will pay up to $500 million to settle lawsuit over throttled iPhones
Apple will pay up to $500 million to settle one of the US lawsuits that came out of the company throttling older iPhones, according to Reuters. Depending on how many people ultimately try to take part in the settlement, you could get about $25 per phone, with a minimum of $310 million earmarked for consumers.
Tesla update leaks some upcoming changes for Model S, Model X
Whether it's Fortnite, the latest Google Maps app or a firmware update for your Tesla Model X, reverse-engineering software to find features that are included but not-yet-enabled is a common hobby for the impatient hackers among us. Today the first new update of 2020 started rolling to Teslas, and researcher Greentheonly dug into it to see what might be next. According to him, updates that should coming soon for the Model S and Model X could include a built-in wireless Qi charger, a new charge port type, new suspension version and new seats.
Samsung’s Galaxy Buds+ will reportedly lack active noise cancellation
Samsung's Galaxy Buds are nearing a year old, so naturally rumors about the next version have started circulating. Supposedly, the Galaxy Buds+ will not have active noise cancellation (ANC), sources tell SamMobile. They may come with a larger battery (85mAh), which could give them a 12-hour battery life, double that of their predecessor.