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An EV That Charges 30 Percent Faster? Volvo and Breathe Think Their Tech Can Do It (Maria)
The author writes, “Would you like an electric vehicle that can charge up to 30 percent faster than the current breed? If so, you’re not alone — Volvo Cars thinks that’s a desirable outcome, too, which is why the carmaker has invested in and partnered with a British startup called Breathe Battery Technologies. Consequently, Volvo will be the first automaker to add Breathe’s new battery management technology to its EVs. … Instead of having prebaked charging data that governs that battery pack throughout its life, Breathe instead has developed a dynamic battery management system that provides much more granular control over the pack as it charges. Consequently, it says, it can improve charging times by 15%-30%.”
Why It Matters That the GOP’s Ken Buck Is Resigning From Congress (Dana)
The author writes, “Ken Buck’s willingness to stick to some of his principles effectively ended his career, which says more about the state of the GOP than his positions.”
PFAS Chemicals To Be Phased Out of Food Packaging. Here’s How To Avoid Them. (Russ)
The author writes, “The Food and Drug Administration announced Wednesday that companies are voluntarily phasing out the use of ‘forever chemicals’ in food packaging, including fast-food wrappers, microwave popcorn bags and takeout containers that are grease-, oil- and water-resistant. … Companies told the FDA it could take 18 months to ‘exhaust the market supply from the last date of sale’ of these products, though it is unclear when that would be. Forever chemicals, or PFAS, are man-made compounds that can potentially accumulate in the body over time and take years to break down in nature. Certain PFAS, which stands for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, have been implicated in a number of serious health effects, including some cancers, high blood pressure, disruption of the endocrine system, and changes in liver function.”
Retail Theft in US Cities: Separating Fact From Fiction (Gerry)
The authors write, “From California to Capitol Hill, concerns over shoplifting have captured public attention across the United States and fueled momentum to further criminalize retail theft. Already, this punitive turn is producing serious consequences for communities. Last April, for instance, a man in San Francisco was shot by a security guard who accused him of stealing from Walgreens. In November, the Albuquerque, N.M. police killed a man accused of shoplifting from Kohl’s as part of their increased patrols to combat retail theft. And just last month, police officers killed a Virginia man suspected of stealing sunglasses at a Fairfax County shopping plaza. … While there is a clear need to support businesses as they seek to recover from a tumultuous few years, the problem with the current retail theft crackdown is that it is not based on actual crime trends nor the evidence on what works to reduce theft.”
Experts Say Leaked Messages Present False Link Between Gender-Affirming Care and Cancer (Mili)
From STAT: “Hundreds of messages from an internal chat board for an international group of transgender health professionals were leaked in a think tank report last week and framed as revealing serious health risks associated with gender-affirming care, including cancer. But experts say this correlation is false and oversimplifies the complex role of hormones in the body.”
Wildfires Are Killing California’s Ancient Giants. Can Seedlings Save Sequoia Trees? (Laura)
From NPR: “On a late autumn day, a team of forestry workers spreads out among the burned trunks of giant sequoia trees. The 1,000-year-old trees in the grove are dead but still standing, killed in an extreme wildfire that raced through Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. In the shadow of one of the trees, the crew gets to work, pulling tiny, 4-inch seedlings out of bags clipped to their belts and tucking them into the dirt. ‘Wish it some luck and that’s it,’ says Micah Craig of the Eastern Sierra Conservation Corps, standing back to look at the young sequoia. He then grabs another seedling, part of a historic planting effort that the National Park Service hopes will be enough to preserve one of the world’s most iconic species.”
Bike Lanes Are Good for Business (Sean)
From Business Insider: “Businesses hate bike lanes. Sure, they reduce pollution, slow the pace of climate change, cut traffic fatalities, and make cities healthier and more pleasant. But they also take away parking spaces, which makes it tougher for shoppers to load up their cars with piles of stuff. Freaked-out business owners have been fighting bike lanes coast to coast, in cities from San Diego to Cambridge, Massachusetts. They worry — not unreasonably — that anything that makes it harder for customers to get to their stops will eat into their already precarious margins.”
