High temperatures can greatly influence our daily routines. Extended exposure to extreme heat poses a well-known risk of heatstroke, making it essential to limit time spent in direct sunlight. Staying hydrated and avoiding strenuous activities during the hottest parts of the day is vital for health and safety.
In addition to heat-related health risks, hot weather conditions, combined with strong winds and low humidity, create ideal scenarios for fires to start. One often-overlooked fire hazard is leaving water bottles inside vehicles during extreme heat. Clear bottles can act like magnifying glasses, concentrating sunlight and generating focused beams of light.
When light passes through a transparent or semi-transparent bottle, it can create a concentrated heat point. This intense heat can ignite nearby flammable items, such as paper or clothing, leading to a fire in just minutes. This is why fire safety officials advise against leaving water bottles in cars.
In July 2017, Dioni Amuchastegui, a battery technician at Idaho Power, experienced this firsthand when he noticed smoke rising from his truck’s center console during his lunch break. At first, he thought it was just dust. However, he soon realized that sunlight was bending through a water bottle, causing smoke to form.
Acting swiftly, he removed the bottle and averted a potential fire. Amuchastegui later shared his experience with coworkers, which inspired the creation of an awareness video highlighting the dangers of leaving water bottles in vehicles during hot weather.
Three of the biggest producers of electric vehicles are reportedly set to pump the brakes on production
Three of the biggest producers of electric vehicles are reportedly set to pump the brakes on production, citing a bad economy and higher interest rates thanks to Joe Biden’s bad economic policies. Tesla, General Motors, and Ford all have said they plan to sIow production essentially until the economy shows some signs of settling down.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk joined General Motors and Ford in voicing concerns that high-interest rates on car purchases would prevent borrowers from securing financing for expensive eIectric vehicles. Musk said, People hesitate to buy a new car if there’s uncertainty in the economy. I don’t want to be going into top speed into uncertainty.
Musk aIso is planning to take a wait-and-see approach to the economy before ramping up the planned Tesla factory in Mexico. Musk’s comments came after poor quarterly results across the board. Not only were Tesla’s sales down, but so were earnings per share and vehicle production.
General Motors, for their part, has plans to delay production of the electric Silverado and GMC Sierra pickup trucks by a year, citing flattening demand for the electrified vehicIes. Over at Ford Motors, they are cutting one of the three shifts that currently builds the electric F-150 Lightning pickup truck. The automaker made this decision following a summer where they took some of the focus off of electric, instead looking toward commercial fleet vehicles and hybrids.
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