Anonymous ID: 522347 Jan. 16, 2024, 7:52 p.m. No.20255840   🗄️.is đź”—kun   >>5857 >>5863 >>6081 >>6141 >>6180

Tesla charging system collapses in major US city

 

Frigid winter weather in Chicago has caused major malfunctions at Tesla charging stations across the city, leaving drivers stranded at a series of “Tesla graveyards,” unable to power up their electric vehicles.

 

Tesla owners were seen waiting in lengthy lines in the Chicago area as temperatures dipped to near 0 degrees fahrenheit (-17C) in recent days, with some even abandoning their cars after finding they would not take a charge.

 

“Nothing. No juice. Still on zero percent,” Chicago resident Tyler Beard told a local Fox affiliate, adding that his vehicle has been stranded at a Tesla Supercharger site since Sunday afternoon.

 

While it typically takes around 45 minutes to charge up most Tesla models, driver Brandon Welbourne said he waited for more than five hours with no luck. Dozens of other motorists were also stuck at the charging station in the Chicago suburb of Oak Brook, the Fox affiliate reported. Tesla owner Chalis Mizelle – who was forced to abandon her vehicle and get a ride from a friend – called the situation “crazy” and “a disaster.”

 

“We got a bunch of dead robots out here,” another man told the outlet.

 

Cold weather can have a significant impact on electric vehicles, causing major reductions in the driving range for many models, among other malfunctions. A review of 18 popular electric cars by EV analytics firm Recurrent found that freezing conditions led to a 70% drop in driving range on average, with Tesla’s Model S among the worst-performing vehicles.

 

“Chemical and physical reactions in the battery occur more slowly in cold temperatures. Cold temperatures inhibit chemical reactions and act as resistance that slows down the physical processes. This reduces the EVs available power,” the analysis said.

 

Though Tesla has yet to address the latest series of technical failures in Chicago and beyond, the company’s “Cold Weather Best Practices” guide recommends that drivers pre-heat their vehicles to ensure batteries reach the “optimal” temperature for charging.

 

https://www.rt.com/news/590774-tesla-frozen-chargers-chicago/

Anonymous ID: 522347 Jan. 16, 2024, 8:10 p.m. No.20255933   🗄️.is đź”—kun   >>6081 >>6097 >>6141 >>6180

Possible measles outbreak sweeps Dulles and Ronald Reagan airports

 

Health officials in the nation’s capital are warning of a possible measles exposure Tuesday after a person with a “confirmed case” traveled through two of the busiest airports in the region while returning home from an international trip.

 

DC Health says the potential exposure occurred in the international arrivals area of the main terminal at Dulles International Airport between 4 and 8 p.m. on Jan. 3, then at terminal A at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport the following day from 2:30 to 6:30 p.m.

 

“DC Health has been notified of a confirmed case of measles in a person who traveled through DC area airports when returning from international travel,” the agency said in a statement. “While the threat of transmission is low, DC Health is notifying District residents who were at these locations about their possible exposure.”

 

The Virginia Department of Health issued a similar warning days earlier.

 

Hundreds of flights involving thousands of travelers arrive and depart at both airports daily.

 

“Measles is a highly contagious illness that can spread easily through the air when an infected person breathes, coughs, or sneezes. Measles symptoms usually appear in two stages. In the first stage, most people have a fever of greater than 101 degrees, runny nose, watery red eyes, and a cough. These symptoms usually start 7 to 14 days after being exposed,” the Virginia Department of Health said in a statement.

 

“The second stage starts 3 to 5 days after symptoms start, when a rash begins to appear on the face and spread to the rest of the body.”

 

“People with measles are contagious from 4 days before the rash appears through 4 days after the rash appeared,” it added.

 

It is unclear on which airline the person with measles was traveling.

 

Both health agencies say anyone who was exposed and is at risk of developing measles should be on alert for symptoms until Jan. 25.

 

https://nypost.com/2024/01/16/lifestyle/possible-measles-outbreak-sweeps-dulles-ronald-reagan-airports/

Anonymous ID: 522347 Jan. 16, 2024, 8:52 p.m. No.20256128   🗄️.is đź”—kun   >>6131 >>6141 >>6180

Congress approves Space Force part-timers

The Space Force will become the nation’s first military service that allows troops to switch between full-time and part-time work without formally transferring to a Reserve component or the National Guard.

 

The youngest branch of the armed forces has lacked its own part-time workforce since its creation in 2019. That changed as part of the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act, signed into law by President Joe Biden in December.

 

The move is part of the Space Force’s broader vision to adapt military service to the needs of modern Americans. Eliminating the traditional component structure, which separates troops serving on active duty from those in Reserve or Guard units, aims to offer more flexibility for those looking to serve their country and ultimately keep them in uniform longer.

 

“When fully implemented, this new construct will allow us to manage our military force more effectively, improve quality of life and retention, and capitalize on skill sets developed outside the military to continue delivering unmatched space capabilities,” Maj. Tanya Downsworth, a Space Force spokesperson, told Military Times via email.

 

Now the service begins the difficult work of figuring out how to make the legislation a reality for the 9,000 or so uniformed guardians under its purview, as well as Air Force Reservists in space-related jobs. A phased implementation is expected to last five years.

 

“We’re looking at the language to make sure we exactly understand how to move forward,” Chief Master Sergeant of the Space Force John Bentivegna told Military Times in a Jan. 11 interview. “What does it mean to be part-time? What benefits do you have? … How do we promote? How do we select? What does that look like? We’re working through that right now.”

 

The Space Force works to protect American interests in space and supports military operations around the globe through a vast network of satellites and radars on Earth and in orbit.

 

As the new service shapes a workforce separate from and much smaller than the other armed forces, it has seized on an opportunity to avoid pitfalls that have accompanied transitions in and out of the Reserve components.

 

Last year, the federally funded think tank Rand Corp. found retention issues linked to persistent transition challenges for guardians moving to and from part-time roles in the other services — like the Air National Guard or the Air Force Reserve — from reappointment and pay delays to complications with benefits and medical coverage.

 

Now, as the Space Force prepares to continue expanding its workforce — the only branch Congress has allowed to grow in fiscal year 2024 — guardians will see new options to create their ideal career with potentially fewer headaches.

 

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https://www.militarytimes.com/news/your-military/2024/01/16/congress-approves-space-force-part-timers-but-still-no-space-guard/

Anonymous ID: 522347 Jan. 16, 2024, 8:53 p.m. No.20256131   🗄️.is đź”—kun   >>6138 >>6141 >>6180 >>6181

>>20256128

Space Force part-timers, continued

 

According to the 2024 NDAA, those on active duty in the Space Force will become classified as serving on “sustained duty,” a regular, full-time status; or as “not on sustained duty,” a part-time position.

 

Part-timers must still participate in at least 48 scheduled drills or training periods each year, and serve on active duty for at least 14 days (excluding travel time) per year; or serve on active duty for training for up to 30 days each year, according to the law.

 

The legislation also establishes the designation of “inactive status” for guardians. That would be similar to the Individual Ready Reserve that already exists in other services as an additional pool of people who can be called up in an emergency, Downsworth said.

 

It’s unclear how many guardians will be expected to serve on full-time, part-time or inactive status at any given time, she added. Air Force Reservists who work in space roles can also opt to transfer into the space service.

 

Officials hope the new model will attract more recruits in an already highly competitive field. The Space Force and Marine Corps — the nation’s two smallest military services — were the Pentagon’s only branches to meet their recruiting targets in fiscal year 2023. The Space Force plans to grow to 9,400 uniformed guardians by the end of September 2024.

 

Bentivegna believes more people could opt to join and stay in a service that doesn’t offer such a stark choice between staying and leaving when “life happens.”

 

“A lot of our part-timers will probably be in their normal job … in the space industry somewhere, or the cyber industry or the intelligence agencies,” he said. “How do we keep leveraging that and bring them back and forth in a way that makes sense?”

 

The new setup could lead to changes at the operational units, too. For instance, Bentivegna said, the policies could blur the lines between units such as the active duty 2nd Space Operations Squadron and the Reserve 19th Space Operations Squadron, which run GPS satellites from Schriever Space Force Base, Colorado.

 

“In many ways, I think that Space Force is rightly going to serve as a microcosm, a testbed for the larger military in figuring out how to create a more modern personnel system and a true continuum of service,” Todd Harrison, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, told Military Times.

 

He added that the “bold new direction” will allow Space Force to continue being selective about who it brings in for its often technical, highly specialized jobs. Still, he acknowledged questions remain about how to implement the new model.

 

Bill Woolf, who heads the nonprofit Space Force Association, argued that a part-time workforce will make it simpler to leverage the expertise of troops who the service may not need continuous access to, but who are still worth keeping on the bench.

 

“Career flexibility seems to be important for young people these days,” he said in a statement to Military Times. “No other service will be able to offer this kind of flexibility.”

 

https://www.militarytimes.com/news/your-military/2024/01/16/congress-approves-space-force-part-timers-but-still-no-space-guard/

 

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