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A KLM flight from Amsterdam to Curaçao turned back to the Netherlands after a portable charger caught fire in business class nearly six hours into the flight over the Atlantic. The device, belonging to former KLM CEO Camiel Eurlings, scorched his seat and window blind. Passengers were rebooked and completed the journey to Curaçao the following day.
Lithium-ion cells age from heat and from time spent at the extremes of charge. Most of the folklore about charging habits is either obsolete or beside the point.
Cornell University scientists created a process called Direct Electrode-to-Electrode Regeneration (DEER) that revives worn EV battery electrodes by chemically stripping excess solid electrolyte interphase buildup rather than shredding cells into raw materials. Treated electrodes recovered up to 95% of original capacity and degraded more slowly than untreated batteries, and a second treatment round restored capacity to 90% even after prior regeneration.
Laptops with trackpads that bulge or pop out are often showing a symptom of a swollen lithium-ion battery, which sits directly beneath the trackpad in most designs including MacBooks and Surface devices. Battery swelling happens when overcharging or physical damage triggers chemical reactions that release gas, pushing outward against internal components. Apple has previously run replacement programs for MacBooks affected by this exact issue.
Range Rover has revealed its long-awaited fully electric SUV, the Range Rover Electric, which closely mirrors the look of its gas-powered siblings rather than adopting a futuristic design. The vehicle uses twin 260kW motors and a 118.5 kWh battery for an estimated 330 miles of range, with 542 horsepower and 800-volt architecture allowing rapid charging. Orders are now open starting at £154,070 (about $140,450), years after the EV was first announced and previewed for preorder.
A clean-energy development is being built on 500 acres of a West Virginia strip mine that was abandoned two decades ago, combining solar power generation with both lithium-ion and zinc battery storage systems. Google is supporting the project, which aims to extend the availability of renewable electricity further into nighttime hours than conventional battery setups typically allow.