Electronics & Electrical

Man Electrocuted At St. Louis Co. Plant

May 15, 2013 2:07 pm | by The Associated Press | News | Comments

A man is dead after being electrocuted at a manufacturing plant in St. Louis County. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that employees of St. Louis Cold Drawn Inc. arrived at 4:15 a.m. Wednesday and found the 55-year-old victim on the ground. He was taken by ambulance to a hospital and pronounced dead.

Boeing Resumes 787 Deliveries After 4-Month Halt

May 15, 2013 2:05 pm | by Joshua Freed, AP Business Writer | News | Comments

Boeing restarted deliveries of 787s on Tuesday after a four-month halt while it dealt with the smoldering batteries that had kept the planes grounded. Boeing handed the plane over to Japan's All Nippon Airways at its factory in Everett, Wash.

Bill Squeezing Out Tesla Passes NC Senate

May 14, 2013 2:24 pm | by The Associated Press | News | Comments

A bill backed by auto dealers that effectively blocks California's Tesla Motors Inc. from selling in North Carolina has passed the state Senate. The electric car manufacturer says the bill that passed the Senate unanimously Monday effectively bars it from selling to state residents through its Internet-based model.

All Nippon Airways To Add Boeing 787 Routes

May 10, 2013 2:01 pm | by The Associated Press | News | Comments

All Nippon Airways Co. is planning to start flying the Boeing 787 to Taipei and Shanghai in addition to three other cities abroad previously served by the U.S. manufacturer's advanced aircraft, after it resolves the battery issue and resumes services on June 1.

Tesla Model S Gets Consumer Reports' Top Score

May 9, 2013 2:15 pm | by Tom Krisher, AP Auto Writer | News | Comments

The Tesla Motors Inc. Model S electric car has tied an older Lexus for the highest score ever recorded in Consumer Reports magazine's automotive testing. The Model S, which starts at $62,400 after a federal tax credit, scored 99 points on a scale of 100 in the magazine's battery of tests.

United To Resume 787 Flights May 20

May 8, 2013 2:22 pm | by The Associated Press | News | Comments

United Airlines expects to start flying its Boeing 787s again on May 20. The 787s had been grounded because of concerns about smoldering batteries, but they have been returning to the skies. Ethiopian Airlines was the first to fly a 787 again, on April 27.

Preventing Discharge Damage: Conductive Rolling Bearing Greases

May 6, 2013 8:05 am | by Heiko Stache, Manager Business Unit – Bearing Technology & Sabine Petri, Product Manager, Klüber Lubrication | Articles | Comments

Damage caused by electric discharge is a well-known issue, and today it is more prevalent than ever. It primarily affects rolling bearings in machines susceptible to static charging. In many cases, conductive grease made especially for these applications can provide an inexpensive and efficient solution to this problem, while at the same time ensuring optimum rolling bearing lubrication.

Electric Car Maker CODA Files For Bankruptcy

May 2, 2013 2:17 pm | by Robert Jablon, Associated Press | News | Comments

Electric car maker CODA Holdings Inc. filed for bankruptcy protection Wednesday after selling just 100 cars and said it plans to quit the auto business altogether. The Los Angeles-based parent of CODA Automotive filed for bankruptcy protection in federal court in Delaware. A consortium of debtors plans to acquire CODA for $25 million, according to a company statement.

Power Company, Smelter Reach Tentative Deal

April 30, 2013 1:46 pm | by The Associated Press | News | Comments

A regional utility has reached a tentative agreement with an aluminum smelter on electric rates that would keep the facility in western Kentucky open. Media report that Henderson-based Big Rivers Electric Corp. and Hawesville-based Century Aluminum announced the agreement on Monday.

Boeing: New Battery System Ensures 787 Safety

April 29, 2013 10:15 am | by Yuriko Nagano, Associated Press | News | Comments

Boeing Co.'s chief engineer for the 787 Dreamliner said Saturday that changes to the lithium-ion battery system are fully sufficient to ensure the aircraft's safety, although the company has been unable to find the cause of the original battery failures earlier this year that led to groundings of the plane worldwide since mid-January.

Mitsubishi Motors IDs Cause Of Battery Problem

April 24, 2013 1:58 pm | by The Associated Press | News | Comments

Mitsubishi Motors Corp. said Wednesday it has identified the cause of a battery malfunction of its Outlander plug-in hybrid electric vehicle and will take recall procedures as soon as the effectiveness of preventive measures is confirmed.

NTSB Probes Safety Testing Of Boeing 787 Batteries

April 23, 2013 10:28 am | by Joan Lowy, Associated Press | News | Comments

As airlines prepare to resume flying Boeing's beleaguered 787 Dreamliners, federal investigators looked Tuesday at how regulators and the company tested and approved the plane's cutting-edge battery system, and whether the government cedes too much safety-testing authority to aircraft makers.

Investors Who Stood By Boeing Reap Reward

April 22, 2013 2:17 pm | by Joshua Freed, AP Business Writer | News | Comments

Investors who stood by Boeing during its 787 crisis have been rewarded. Some investors bailed out, spooked by the latest snag with a plane considered to be a key to Boeing's future. Others were confident that Boeing Co. would quickly fix the battery problem and raved about its long-term prospects.

Judge Approves Fisker Supplier Claims Settlement

April 17, 2013 2:03 pm | by Randall Chase, AP Business Writer | News | Comments

A Delaware bankruptcy judge is approving a settlement between electric car maker Fisker Automotive Inc. and its former battery supplier. The settlement approved Wednesday reduces Fisker's claims against the company formerly known as A123 Systems Inc., now called B456 Systems Inc., by almost 90 percent.

Boeing's 787 Dreamliner Nightmare Nearing An End

April 9, 2013 1:09 pm | by Bloomberg TV | Videos | Comments

Bloomberg's chief Washington correspondent Peter Cook reports that Boeing has tested its fix for the 787 Dreamliner battery and is set for an FAA review of the results. Friday's test flight outside of Seattle was the final certification test, according to Boeing. Cook speaks on Bloomberg Television's "In The Loop."

Fisker's 80 Percent Staff Cut May Send Luxury Co. Under

April 8, 2013 1:05 pm | by Bloomberg | Videos | Comments

Fisker Automotive, a maker of luxury plug-in cars seeking investors to fund operations, said it's firing about 80 percent of its workforce after failing to secure a deal with an automotive partner. Cory Johnson reports on Bloomberg Television's "Bloomberg West.

Boeing Makes Final Test Flight For 787 Battery Fix

April 8, 2013 10:04 am | by Joshua Freed, AP Business Writer | News | Comments

Boeing put its 787 battery fix through a "final" flight test on Friday and will soon submit the data to regulators, who the aircraft maker hopes will sign off on the new battery system and allow the 787 back in the air. The 787 Dreamliner has been grounded since mid-January because of smoldering batteries that, in one case, caused a serious fire on the tarmac in Boston.

Manufacturing American Efficiency

April 5, 2013 2:35 pm | by Rachel Leisemann Immel, Associate Editor, IMPO | Articles | Comments

The majority of today’s LED solutions are not produced in America. And for the first five years of doing business, that was true for NEUTEX Advanced Energy Group as well. Headquartered in Houston, NEUTEX has become one of a list of companies that have recently moved operations to the U.S. from overseas. Today, the company is developing its Houston presence as it positions itself as a leading manufacturer of LED lighting.

Solar Powered Everything!

April 2, 2013 8:05 am | by Chris Rendall, Mechanical Engineer, PCDworks | Blogs | Comments

I’ve heard for years that “soon we’ll have solar panels on everything.” To be honest, I’ve never paid much attention to the hype because these magical solar panels that can fit on and inside everything never seemed to materialize commercially. But researchers seem to have made a real breakthrough in solar technology: thin, sticky, flexible solar panels that can stick to just about any surface or object imaginable.

Temporary Power Distribution

March 29, 2013 1:11 pm | by Larson Electronics | Product Releases | Comments

This portable substation allows operators to safely utilize 3 phase 480V primary current where tapping into the local power grid is impractical or undesirable.

Mercedes, Tesla Team Up On Electric Car

March 28, 2013 1:12 pm | by CNN Money | Videos | Comments

Mercedes' new B-class Electric Drive is powered by Tesla Motors' technology and has an electric range of up to 115 miles per charge. The B-class is basically a Mercedes Benz, but inside the batteries, electric motors, and the charging system all come from Tesla Motors.

Mitsubishi Reports Lithium-Ion Battery Problems

March 27, 2013 1:59 pm | by The Associated Press | News | Comments

Mitsubishi Motors says a battery in a plug-in hybrid Outlander vehicle heated up and melted. No one was injured. Separately, the Japanese automaker said Wednesday a battery for i-MiEV electric cars caught fire at an auto-assembly plant, but that no one was injured.

WV Bill Would End Tax Credits For Electric Cars

March 27, 2013 1:54 pm | by The Associated Press | News | Comments

The West Virginia Senate Finance Committee has endorsed Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin's plan to eliminate state tax credits for electric cars and other alternative fuel vehicles. Tomblin's bill was briefly overhauled by the Senate Transportation Committee earlier this week, before being restored by the Finance Committee on Tuesday.

Boeing 787 Makes Test Flight To Check Battery

March 26, 2013 9:45 am | by The Associated Press | News | Comments

A Boeing 787 with a redesigned battery system made a 2-hour test flight on Monday, and the company said the event "went according to plan." The test flight was an important step in Boeing Co.'s plan to convince safety regulators to let airlines resume using the plane, which the company calls the Dreamliner.

Chinese Solar Producer Suntech Declares Bankruptcy

March 20, 2013 10:12 am | by The Associated Press | News | Comments

Suntech, one of the world's biggest solar panel manufacturers, has been forced into bankruptcy court, becoming the latest casualty of a painful slump in the global solar industry. Wednesday's announcement came after Suntech Power Holdings Ltd. missed a deadline last week to make a $541 million payment to bondholders.