battery – Latest News

iPhones have a hidden ‘vampire’ setting responsible for significant battery draining –

admin — Sat, 19 Aug 2023 10:29:36 +0000

Apple’s ‘Wi-Fi Assist’ can dramatically drain battery life and eat up your data
The tool allows users to hop on to mobile data when networks lag behind

Published: 04:41 EDT, 19 August 2023 | Updated: 05:50 EDT, 19 August 2023

There’s nothing more frustrating than heading out with a fully charged phone to find it completely dead just a few hours later.

But you may be surprised to know that battery drain is often worsened by the so-called ‘vampire setting’ hidden deep within an iPhone.

Despite its terrifying nickname, the life-sucking feature is more blandly known as ‘Wi-Fi Assist’ and allows Apple users to hop on to mobile data when networks lag behind.

Whether you’re streaming Netflix on the bus or downloading a file in the mountains, this can be an incredibly handy tool on the go.

However, users should be aware that it can also rapidly kill battery life, with the tool automatically enabled on all iPhones.

Apple’s ‘Wi-Fi Assist’ feature can dramatically drain battery life and eat up your data

HOW TO SWITCH OFF THE ‘VAMPIRE SETTING’/ WI-FI ASSIST

Head to ‘Settings’
Tap the ‘Mobile Data’ tab
Scroll all the way to the bottom
Tap the ‘Wi-Fi Assist’ toggle, turning it from green to grey

To see it for yourself, head to the ‘Settings’ menu before tapping on the ‘Mobile Data’ tab.

Here, you’ll see personal hotspot information as well as insights on how data is used for different apps on the device.

The ‘Wi-Fi Assist’ toggle is located far below this, so you’ll need to scroll right to the bottom where you’ll find it located just above ‘iCloud Drive’.

If you’d like to turn this off, tap the toggle just once to turn it from green to grey – this change will save automatically.

Wi-Fi Assist can be used for numerous apps including but not limited to Safari, Apple Music, Mail and Maps.

While the setting can impact battery life, it’s important to note that it won’t automatically switch to ‘cellular’ if you have data roaming switched on.

Data roaming generally occurs when using a mobile phone on holiday, with the internet switching to an internet network located in whatever country you’re in.

The tool allows users to hop on to mobile data when Wi-Fi networks are slow and lag behind

Wi-Fi Assist solely focuses on apps running in the foreground too and doesn’t activate programs in the background or third-party apps.

The latter can eat up large volumes of data – not only costing you precious battery life but money as well.

‘There are two simple ways you can preserve battery life — no matter how you use your device: adjust your screen brightness and use Wi‑Fi,’ the tech giant says.

‘When you use your device to access data, a Wi‑Fi connection uses less power than a mobile network — so keep Wi‑Fi on at all times. To turn on Wi‑Fi, go to Settings > Wi‑Fi to access a Wi‑Fi network.’

iPhone owners can dim their screen brightness by accessing the ‘Control Centre’ accessed by swiping down from the top right-hand corner of a screen on newer models.

Switching on ‘Auto-Brightness’ can help too – found in the ‘Accessibility’ tab of ‘General’ in ‘Settings’.

HOW TO MAXIMISE iPHONE BATTERY HEALTH

Avoid extreme temperatures: Your device is designed to perform well in temperatures between 16°C and 22°C. Anything above 35°C can permanently damage battery life.
Remove certain cases when charging: Phone cases that generate excess heat should be removed while charging. Overheating can also cause the device to unexpectedly shut down.
Update to the latest software: Apple updates often include energy-saving technologies.
Do not fully charge or fully discharge the device : Charging to around 50 per cent will help sustain its ability to hold battery life.

Watch the terrifying moment an e-bike battery EXPLODES – releasing plumes of toxic white

admin — Wed, 16 Aug 2023 01:14:15 +0000

It is a terrifying sight: an e-bike battery spewing out toxic white smoke and erupting into flames with such ferocity that it could prove fatal.

That is the warning from electrical safety experts, who say if such a fire breaks out it can destroy a room in minutes.

To make matters worse, a new survey by the charity Electrical Safety First has found that hundreds of e-bike and e-scooter owners are at risk of inadvertently sparking such a blaze by using incompatible chargers.

Almost half (43 per cent) of those questioned said they used a charger that wasn’t supplied with their bike or scooter when it was sold, prompting fears that such a device might not be compatible with the voltage of their battery.

Of the 430 people who admitted to doing so, 1 in 3 knew that the charger they were using was not compatible with their e-scooter’s battery, while 1 in 5 didn’t know.

Worrying: It is a terrifying sight: an e-bike battery spewing out toxic white smoke and erupting into flames with such ferocity that it could prove fatal

A new survey by the charity Electrical Safety First has found that hundreds of e-bike and e-scooter owners are at risk of inadvertently sparking such a blaze by using incompatible chargers

The danger of incompatible chargers, safety experts warn, is that they risk supplying a battery with too much voltage, which can then spark a catastrophic process called thermal runaway.

This is where the battery goes into an uncontrollable self-heating chemical reaction which leads to a fire breaking out that can destroy a room in minutes.

It is for this reason that Electrical Safety First is calling for a ban on universal chargers for e-bike and e-scooter batteries, whereby a charger comes with multiple outlets to connect to various batteries.

The charity has shared a video of what such a blaze can look like to coincide with the release of its new report, Battery Breakdown, which looks at ways to crackdown on a spate of deadly e-bike fires across Britain.

In the footage, a toxic smoke that can be incredibly harmful if inhaled is first shown pouring from the battery.

It is then only a matter of seconds before sparks erupt and the battery bursts into flames.

Such is the ferociousness of thermal runaway that the battery shoots around the room as the huge amount of energy is expelled.

‘Incorrectly charging your e-bike or e-scooter battery comes at a dangerous cost,’ said Giuseppe Capanna, of Electrical Safety First.

‘Due to the large amount of energy stored in these batteries, the risk of fire is significantly higher if the battery becomes unstable.

‘It’s essential that you use a compatible charger, ideally the one that that came with the device and never block any exit ways when charging, the results could be fatal.’

Experts have warned against buying replacement chargers for devices that aren’t compatible

London firefighters have put out blazes from faulty e-bikes and e-scooters every two days since the start of this year

What can often compound the problem, campaigners say, is that many e-bike and e-scooter owners charge their devices in areas that risk blocking escape routes, such as a communal hallway or staircase in a block of flats.

More than half of those surveyed (52 per cent) also admitted to charging their device overnight while they are sleeping – which heightens the danger because they have less time to respond if a fire breaks out.

Just over a quarter (28 per cent ) said they charged their device in a hallway inside their home, whilst more than 1 in 10 (14 percent) do so in their bedroom.

Electrical Safety First recommends charging e-bikes or e-scooters away from vital escape routes — ideally in an outhouse where possible.

Scott Angus, 32 from London, revealed how he had a lucky escape after a neighbour’s e-bike burst into flames in a communal hallway of a converted Victorian house last year.

He and his partner had to jump out of a second-floor window with their dog after their escape route was blocked.

‘I was woken up around 1am to the strong smell of carbon. I opened the door and all I could see was a wall of thick black smoke. If that smoke had got inside our flat any sooner, I probably wouldn’t be here,’ Mr Angus said.

Scott Angus, 32 from London, revealed how he had a lucky escape after a neighbour’s e-bike burst into flames in a communal hallway of a converted Victorian house last year. He saw burnt battery cells on the driveway outside (pictured) after fleeing the blaze

Tragic: Eight people have died in Britain so far this year as a result of e-bike battery fires

Sofia Duarte, 21, died in a flat fire caused by a converted e-bike battery which burst into flames

‘An e-bike battery was being charged on the ground floor in the building’s communal hallway caught fire, it blocked our escape route, and we had no way out except for the windows.’

Mr Angus revealed that he and his fellow neighbours had to be rescued by firefighters with ladders.

‘When we got down, all I could see was chaos. The front door to the building had been blasted off. The fire brigade were trying to put the fire out and I could see lots of individual batteries all over the floor. They looked like shotgun cartridges,’ he added.

‘My partner damaged her back when she jumped and she’s had issued with it ever since, it’s impacted her quality of life.

‘We just feel lucky to have escaped with our lives.’

Others have not been so lucky, however.

Eight people have died in Britain so far this year as a result of e-bike battery fires.

On New Years Day, Sofia Duarte was killed when an e-bike in her home burst into flames, whilst a mother and two children lost their lives in Cambridge this year in a fire that is believed to have been caused by a charging e-bike.

Jaguar Land Rover owner Tata eyes Somerset for car battery gigafactory

admin — Wed, 24 May 2023 23:59:13 +0000

Jaguar Land Rover owner Tata looks set to pick Somerset over Spain for car battery gigafactory

By Leah Montebello For The Daily Mail

Updated: 18:59 EDT, 24 May 2023

Hopes for the UK’s electric vehicle industry have been reignited as Jaguar Land Rover’s owner looks set to pick Somerset over Spain for a car battery plant.

Tata’s boss is expected to fly to London next week to finalise the multi-million-pound deal, which Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has been pushing for months, according to the BBC.

But Whitehall sources told the Mail that negotiations were still ongoing to secure the most significant investment in UK automotive since Nissan came to Sunderland in the 1980s.

Elon Musk has also said he is considering the UK for a Tesla gigafactory as the electric car maker ramps up production.

Deals with Tata and Tesla would significantly bolster Britain’s electric vehicle (EV) sector, which has had a rocky ride in recent months – from the collapse of Britishvolt to the crisis surrounding the lack of electric chargers.

Site: Jaguar Land Rover is expected to pick a site near Bridgwater in Somerset (pictured) for its new car battery gigafactory

There are also ongoing concerns over ‘rules of origin’ laws which could see tariffs of 10pc whacked on EVs exported to the EU that do not meet strict criteria.

Under current plans, 45 per cent of an electric car must be sourced in the UK or elsewhere in Europe to avoid export tariffs of 10 per cent.

The rule, which is set to come into force next year, was originally intended to boost the creation of domestic electric car battery industries and remove the over-reliance on foreign players, such as China and Japan.

But both the EU and the UK have failed to build enough factories to meet these production demands, meaning that most vehicles will not meet this standard and therefore must pay the tariff.

Stellantis, which owns Vauxhall and Citroen, told MPs last week that it would be unable to make EVs in the UK without changes to Britain’s agreement with the bloc.

Ford and Jaguar Land Rover also argued that the shift to EVs could be knocked off course unless the stricter rules are delayed.

Although Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch has said a solution would come ‘soon’, data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) underlines the scale of the threat.

More than eight in ten cars manufactured in the UK last month headed overseas, according to the figures, with over half of these going to the EU.

Manufacturers produced a total of 66,527 cars in April, up 10 per cent from the same period last year, the SMMT said, with the number of electric vehicles jumping 56 per cent year-on-year.

Mike Hawes, chief executive of the SMMT, said: ‘These figures show how exports, particularly to Europe, continue to be the foundation of British automotive manufacturing so we must do all we can to safeguard the competitiveness of these trading relationships.’

Some links in this article may be affiliate links. If you click on them we may earn a small commission. That helps us fund This Is Money, and keep it free to use. We do not write articles to promote products. We do not allow any commercial relationship to affect our editorial independence.

POPULAR MONEY SECTIONS