Topic: Battery Recall

Green Mountain Transit in Vermont removed five new Flyer electric buses from service following a battery recall due to fire hazards. The buses, which are less than a year old, currently sit idle in the snow because they require temperatures of at least 41 degrees to charge. Local agencies are sharing resources to maintain transit schedules during the subfreezing winter weather.

Chevrolet expands its voluntary recall to include all Bolt electric vehicle models from 2019 through 2022 due to a fire risk from defective battery modules. The recall highlights ongoing safety concerns regarding large-scale lithium-ion battery implementation in the automotive industry.

A replacement Samsung Note 7 smartphone reportedly caught fire on a Southwest Airlines flight in Louisville, leading to an evacuation. The hosts discuss the ongoing battery issues plaguing Samsung and the potential for Chinese-made components to be the cause. They mock the media's "human interest" framing of the story and suggest recording video of such incidents for profit.

Samsung has issued a massive recall for the Galaxy Note 7 following reports of exploding batteries. The hosts deconstruct how ABC News used the story as a "native ad" for the upcoming iPhone release, seamlessly transitioning from Samsung's failure to the high anticipation for Apple's new product.

A report of a South Korean man killed by an exploding cell phone is revealed to be a murder cover-up rather than a hardware failure. The hosts discuss how the media's inherent dislike of mobile phones led to the quick adoption of the story. They also recall a legitimate Nokia battery recall that was preceded by listener reports of batteries exploding and burning holes in carpets.