battery showdown pits boeing against iphone over airplane safety

With the establishment of United Parcel Service, the smoke alarm sounded first.
Large jets approach cruising heights over the Persian Gulf.
Within 2 1/2 minutes, a fire in the cargo hold became so hot that it distorted the steel flight controls that made it difficult for the aircraft to fly.
The pungent smoke poured into the cockpit, blocking the pilot\'s sight.
\"I don\'t have oxygen,\" Captain Doug Lampe said after the fire burned his emergency supply line.
\"I can\'t breathe.
Lampe stood up from his seat and was almost immediately overwhelmed with smoke.
Twenty minutes later, the plane crashed in a fire near Dubai, killing Lampe and his colleagues. pilot.
The accident investigators report conveyed the final moments in the cockpit captured by the flight recorder, saying that a pile of flammable lithium batteries was at least part of the reason for the 2010 crash of flight UPS 6.
Five years later, however, such transportation, including some passenger flights, continued.
On Wednesday, United Nations International Civil Aviation Organization negotiators in Montreal voted not to ban lithium batteries as goods on passenger planes, according to two people familiar with the matter who were not authorized to talk about it.
But they are still discussing other restrictions that may be announced when they adjourn on Friday.
The restrictions being considered include restrictions requiring battery transport to be less than full charge, or changes to hazardous cargo reporting and packaging requirements.
The discussion has put the rapidly expanding industry in trouble, building the power to run all of Apple\'s products.
Compared with Boeing, the aviation giant, the iphone enters the grid.
And the Airbus Group SE, they warned passenger carriers in July not to carry lithium-
Battery cargo transport before new protection measures are developed. The U. S.
Earlier this month, the Federal Aviation Administration also urged the ban.
But Congress passed a ban on the United States in 2012. S.
The government\'s regulation of lithium goods is stricter than any recommendation made by ICAO.
In addition to UPS Flight 6, the shipment of lithium batteries is also related to two other aircraft accidents and dozens of fire incidents.
Marie e Pillot, director of AVICENNE Energy a Paris, said the risks are high
Based on consultants.
Fast growth in global rechargeable lithium shipmentsion batteries --
It is estimated that the average annual rate will be 20% in the next 10 to 15 years--
If the freight is disturbed by more stringent rules, or if it is high
Pillot said the personal data accident caused public concern.
AVICENNE project rechargeable lithium-
Ion battery sales will reach nearly $16 billion this year.
\"The impact on this market will be very important,\" he said . \"
George Kerchner, executive director of PRBA, said that while the battery industry recognizes the need for more stringent standards, it has been working to stop all air transportation, arguing that this is unnecessary and would harm the industry
Association of rechargeable batteries.
\"We don\'t think the ban is the right thing to do,\" Kerchner said . \".
The association is in favor of increasing packaging, labeling and training to improve safety.
The pilot union, meanwhile, said they could not understand the proximity of shipments with potential dangers
Aircraft manufacturers, the FAA and many airlines have unanimously called for increased safety.
Captain Michael Moody, chairman of the safety committee of the UPS Independent Pilot Association, said: \"Unfortunately, with lithium batteries as the theme, we have handcuffed the regulators and won\'t let them finish their work . \".
Since the 2010 incident, UPS has developed more
UPS spokesman Mike Mangeot said in an email that it is resistant to cargo containers and gives better cockpit smoke and fire protection to pilotsmail.
While supporting the improvement of packaging standards, he said, the company opposed any ban on battery shipments.
The UPS alliance and the International Federation of Airline Pilots Associations, an umbrella organization of trade unions around the world, said that there is a loophole in the ICAO\'s current recommendation standard to limit battery shipments, allowing large-
In the case of little notice or supervision, load the goods on passenger and freight flights.
A study released last year by the FAA found that even with existing fire fighting systems, the cargo could explode in the cargo hold.
\"There is enough information, enough testing, enough to let us know the risks these batteries pose to transport,\" said Mark Rogers, chairman of the IFALPA dangerous goods Committee.
\"Of course, we do not think that the current transport regulations are sufficient to address this risk.
Many large passenger transport companies including United Continental Holding
Delta Airlines
Earlier this year it was said that they would not ship powerpack as cargo until new security measures were put in place, which is legal and some carriers continue to deal with it.
The FAA estimates that 26 million people travel to and from the United States each year. S.
Just on foreign operators that allow lithium. ion shipments. At least one U. S.
Transport is also allowed by passenger transport companies.
Alaska Airlines Group
Alaska Airlines accepts lithium
Spokesman Bobby Egan said in an email that at least some flights have ion shipmentsmail.
Oregon Democratic Congressman Peter DeFazio, the highest-ranking member of his party\'s House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, said the United States was \"unreasonable\"S.
Civil aviation International standards must be accepted and their own safety rules cannot be formulated.
He wants to lift the restrictions on lithium.
The battery regulations in the FAA policy Act are scheduled to begin early next year.
In addition to the ban on the transportation of lithium, ICAO is discussing several proposals this week.
First, the total charge of the battery cannot exceed 30%, which will reduce the possibility of overheating and fire.
Kerchner said it makes sense for battery manufacturers to agree with some restrictions, but would like to be able to flexibly ship higher-charged batteries.
Negotiators are also working on how to fill holes in early ICAO battery packaging requirements.
In accordance with ICAO\'s 2012 policies, only the smallest packages are allowed to be transported on the plane without being identified as hazardous waste and given special care.
However, these small packages can be shipped together, effectively avoiding protection, Rogers said.
The organization may either adopt one or more proposals or make them separately.
While most countries adopt ICAO standards, they are not bound by the United Nations. Most lithium-
Pillot of AVICENNE said the batteries were made in Asia and shipped to the rest of the world.
This means that part of the industry depends on the rapid delivery provided by aircraft, which makes this form of transport critical, he said.
Panasonic and other companies
Samsung Electronics.
And LG Electronics
According to AVICENNE, they are one of the largest manufacturers of rechargeable lithium batteries, reflecting their use in electronic products.
From electric bikes to buses, and vehicles as home-based storage devices are new areas of battery growth.
Tesla Motors
The battery is being manufactured.
Production facilities in Nevada are expanding from electric vehicles to home batteries.
While the battery has stimulated economic growth, safety risks remain.
Not only are they made of flammable materials, but they have so much energy that they can be self-contained
Ignite if they fail or damage.
Non-
Rechargeable lithium batteries are banned as goods on passenger flights by the United StatesS.
In 2007, studies showed that they could not be-
Board fire fighting. Non-
Rechargeable batteries use chemicals different from lithium
Ion charged battery.
However, institutions like the FAA research lithium
Ion cells, the more they pay attention. While lithium-
Ion fires are easier to put out, and cells release gas that will explode in some cases.
According to the FAA, the explosion in the warehouse could damage normal fire protection and possibly even damage the aircraft.
After the crash of flight UPS 6, investigators found Boeing 747-
According to the United Arab Emirates Civil Aviation Administration, 400 of people have more than 81,000 lithium batteries, some of which have not been properly declared.
The agency\'s report concluded that the fire occurred on goods carrying \"a large number of lithium-type batteries and other combustible materials.