TPT May 2013

Global Marketplace

a solution put forward by Boeing, whose 787 “Dreamliner” is the first commercial plane to use large lithium-ion batteries for major flight functions. The NTSB reiterated a statement, made to reporters in February by its chairwoman Deborah Hersman, that the problem seemed to derive from a short-circuit in one of the eight cells of a new lithium-ion battery; an ensuing fire apparently spread to the other cells. The safety board said it would hold a hearing in April on the hazards of the batteries, made for Boeing by the GS Yuasa Corp (Kyoto, Japan). A day before the NTSB report was published, the FAA said it was close to authorising tests of the Boeing fix. Boeing officials, describing themselves as confident they had arrived at the most likely explanation for the failure, were ready to present a redesigned battery as early as the next week. Chicago-based Boeing had delivered fifty 787s to eight airlines, and the company said it could quickly install new batteries in the planes once the new design was approved. An FAA decision to commence testing would provide a major boost to the Boeing effort to get the Dreamliners, grounded since mid-January, back in the air. As reported by Steve Wilhelm, who covers aerospace for the Seattle-based Puget Sound Business Journal , the proposed fix was believed to feature both wider separation between battery cells to prevent a fire of the kind that occurred in Boston, aboard a Japan Air Lines 787; and a sturdier steel box to contain any fire. It would also install tubes to vent

company said rising demand for fuel-efficient models in North America prompted the shift to Ohio. The second-largest US automaker has sharpened its focus on fuel efficiency over the last seven years and considers the 2-litre “EcoBoost” engine crucial to its strategy. US production of the EcoBoost is expected to start in late 2014. The Valencia factory will continue to make the engine for Ford vehicles built in Europe. Spotlight on: Batteries With orders for 800 more of its problematic 787 jet on the books, Boeing depends heavily on a fix to a new, big battery On 7 March, the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) issued an interim factual report on its ongoing investigation into the reasons why, in January, a battery in a new Boeing 787 jet parked at Boston’s Logan Airport burst into flames. The report, together with 449 pages of related documents, did not offer any conclusions. But it made public details that the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is using to evaluate

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May 2013