{"version":"1.0.0","segments":[{"startTime":0.24,"endTime":3.96,"body":"Don't get burned! What every traveler needs to know about flying with"},{"startTime":3.96,"endTime":7.76,"body":"batteries. Welcome back everyone. I'm Greg"},{"startTime":7.76,"endTime":11.48,"body":"Doig and today we're talking about something that affects basically every"},{"startTime":11.48,"endTime":15.0,"body":"single person who travels with tech gear. Which, if you're"},{"startTime":15.0,"endTime":17.44,"body":"listening to this show, is almost certainly you."},{"startTime":18.4,"endTime":22.0,"body":"Lithium batteries, specifically the rules around flying with"},{"startTime":22.0,"endTime":25.76,"body":"them because a lot of people get this wrong. And the consequences"},{"startTime":25.76,"endTime":29.04,"body":"can range from having your gear confiscated at the gate to,"},{"startTime":29.04,"endTime":32.56,"body":"well,— an actual fire on a plane. So let's get"},{"startTime":32.56,"endTime":36.4,"body":"into this. First, a quick science lesson. Don't worry, I'll"},{"startTime":36.4,"endTime":40.24,"body":"keep it brief. Lithium-ion batteries, the kind in your phone, your"},{"startTime":40.24,"endTime":43.32,"body":"laptop, your camera, your power bank— they're incredibly"},{"startTime":44.2,"endTime":47.96,"body":"energy-dense. That's why we love them. But the same property makes them capable"},{"startTime":47.96,"endTime":51.72,"body":"of something called thermal runaway. It's a"},{"startTime":51.72,"endTime":55.0,"body":"fancy way of saying the battery starts generating more heat than it can"},{"startTime":55.41,"endTime":59.25,"body":"handle, —which generates more heat, which— you get the idea. It can"},{"startTime":59.25,"endTime":62.85,"body":"happen with zero warning, and it can happen because of physical"},{"startTime":62.85,"endTime":66.61,"body":"damage, overcharging, exposure to heat, water, or even just"},{"startTime":66.61,"endTime":70.45,"body":"a manufacturing defect. The FAA tracks these"},{"startTime":70.85,"endTime":74.53,"body":"incidents. Flight crews are trained specifically for lithium battery"},{"startTime":74.77,"endTime":78.37,"body":"fires. This is not theoretical. It happens on planes, which"},{"startTime":78.37,"endTime":81.98,"body":"is exactly why the rules exist. Here's the single"},{"startTime":81.98,"endTime":85.46,"body":"most important thing to take away from today's episode."},{"startTime":85.46,"endTime":89.18,"body":"Spare lithium batteries, including power banks, must"},{"startTime":89.18,"endTime":92.98,"body":"go in your carry-on, not checked baggage. If you're checking"},{"startTime":92.98,"endTime":96.38,"body":"a bag, that power bank has to come out and stay with you in the"},{"startTime":96.54,"endTime":100.34,"body":"cabin. Period. The reason is simple. If a battery ignites in the"},{"startTime":100.34,"endTime":104.02,"body":"cargo hold, no one can get to it. In the cabin, flight crew"},{"startTime":104.02,"endTime":107.53,"body":"can intervene. And here's where people get caught off guard. If"},{"startTime":107.53,"endTime":111.25,"body":"your carry-on gets gate-checked, you know, when the overhead bins are"},{"startTime":111.33,"endTime":115.17,"body":"full and they take your bag at the door, you need to pull your power"},{"startTime":115.17,"endTime":118.89,"body":"banks and spare batteries out before they take the bag."},{"startTime":118.89,"endTime":122.73,"body":"That's on you to do proactively. All right, let's talk specs because this"},{"startTime":122.73,"endTime":126.37,"body":"is where it gets a little technical. For lithium-ion"},{"startTime":126.37,"endTime":129.89,"body":"rechargeable batteries, the kind in most of your gadgets, the limit"},{"startTime":129.89,"endTime":133.13,"body":"is 100 watt-hours per battery. Most"},{"startTime":133.13,"endTime":136.86,"body":"consumer electronics fall well under that. Your typical phone battery,"},{"startTime":136.86,"endTime":140.22,"body":"well, that's about 15 to 20 watt-hours. A standard"},{"startTime":140.22,"endTime":144.02,"body":"laptop battery, usually 50 to 75. You're almost"},{"startTime":144.02,"endTime":147.74,"body":"certainly fine. If you don't see a watt-hour rating on your battery,"},{"startTime":147.74,"endTime":150.979,"body":"here's how to calculate it. Multiply the voltage by"},{"startTime":151.94,"endTime":155.54,"body":"amp-hours. So if your battery says 3.7 volts and"},{"startTime":155.62,"endTime":159.3,"body":"10,000 milliamps, that's 10 amp-hours. You've got"},{"startTime":159.3,"endTime":163.11,"body":"37 watt-hours. —so you're safe. Now if you got"},{"startTime":163.11,"endTime":166.91,"body":"larger batteries in the 101 to 160 watt-hour range,"},{"startTime":166.91,"endTime":170.71,"body":"some professional camera rigs, certain extended laptop batteries, you"},{"startTime":170.71,"endTime":174.39,"body":"can bring those but you need airline approval and you're limited to 2"},{"startTime":174.39,"endTime":177.91,"body":"of those larger batteries per person. For lithium"},{"startTime":177.91,"endTime":181.63,"body":"metal batteries, the non-rechargeable kind like certain camera batteries"},{"startTime":181.63,"endTime":185.31,"body":"and some specialty cells, the limit is 2 grams of"},{"startTime":185.31,"endTime":188.46,"body":"lithium per battery with the range up to 8 grams"},{"startTime":188.46,"endTime":192.22,"body":"for oversized ones. Again, with airline approval and a"},{"startTime":192.7,"endTime":196.42,"body":"2-battery cap. So here's the thing that catches a lot of people"},{"startTime":196.42,"endTime":199.54,"body":"off guard. You have to protect the battery terminals from"},{"startTime":200.46,"endTime":204.3,"body":"short-circuiting. The terminals are the metal contacts on the battery. If they"},{"startTime":204.3,"endTime":208.02,"body":"touch other metal like loose change, keys, or other batteries"},{"startTime":208.02,"endTime":211.58,"body":"rattling around in your bag, you can get a spark or heat"},{"startTime":211.99,"endTime":215.83,"body":"buildup. The FAA is very clear on this. The fix is"},{"startTime":215.99,"endTime":219.59,"body":"easy. Leave batteries in their original retail packaging,"},{"startTime":219.59,"endTime":223.35,"body":"put tape over the terminals, use a battery case or sleeve,"},{"startTime":223.35,"endTime":226.75,"body":"or just drop them in separate Ziploc bags. If you're"},{"startTime":226.75,"endTime":230.39,"body":"a photographer hauling a bunch of camera batteries, get a"},{"startTime":230.39,"endTime":233.95,"body":"dedicated battery case. They're cheap and this is exactly what"},{"startTime":233.95,"endTime":237.51,"body":"they're for. Now this one seems obvious but needs to be said. If"},{"startTime":237.51,"endTime":241.3,"body":"your battery is damaged, swollen, cracked, leaking,— but"},{"startTime":241.3,"endTime":245.02,"body":"don't fly with it. Don't even take it to the airport. A"},{"startTime":245.02,"endTime":248.62,"body":"damaged battery is a fire risk and the FAA explicitly prohibits"},{"startTime":248.62,"endTime":252.38,"body":"bringing them aboard— in carry-on or checked bags— unless"},{"startTime":252.38,"endTime":255.98,"body":"the battery has been removed or made safe. Same goes"},{"startTime":255.98,"endTime":259.66,"body":"for recalled batteries and devices. If there's been a recall on"},{"startTime":259.66,"endTime":262.66,"body":"your device's battery, check the Consumer Product Safety"},{"startTime":262.66,"endTime":266.39,"body":"Commission website"},{"startTime":266.39,"endTime":270.03,"body":"at cpsc.gov— don't fly with it until you've addressed"},{"startTime":270.03,"endTime":273.59,"body":"the recall. So, okay, let's bring this home with some"},{"startTime":273.59,"endTime":277.15,"body":"practical takeaways. Number 1, know what's in your bag. Count your power"},{"startTime":277.15,"endTime":280.83,"body":"banks, spare camera batteries, and external battery packs before you get"},{"startTime":281.07,"endTime":284.71,"body":"to the airport. Number 2, keep them accessible in"},{"startTime":284.71,"endTime":287.43,"body":"your carry-on. Don't bury them at the bottom if you might need to pull them"},{"startTime":287.43,"endTime":290.51,"body":"out at the gate. And 3,"},{"startTime":290.75,"endTime":294.36,"body":"protect the terminals. Tape, cases, bags, Just don't let"},{"startTime":294.36,"endTime":298.16,"body":"bare metal rattle around loose. 4. Inspect your"},{"startTime":298.24,"endTime":302.08,"body":"batteries before travel. If anything looks swollen or damaged, leave"},{"startTime":302.08,"endTime":305.8,"body":"it home. And 5. When in doubt, carry it on. The rule"},{"speaker":"of thumb is simple","startTime":305.8,"endTime":309.6,"body":"if it has a lithium battery, it belongs in"},{"speaker":"of thumb is simple","startTime":309.6,"endTime":313.36,"body":"the cabin with you. So that's your lithium battery"},{"speaker":"of thumb is simple","startTime":313.68,"endTime":317.12,"body":"briefing for today. This is the kind of thing that seems like fine print"},{"speaker":"of thumb is simple","startTime":317.28,"endTime":321.07,"body":"until it isn't, either because TSA pulls your gear"},{"speaker":"of thumb is simple","startTime":321.07,"endTime":324.83,"body":"or worse, something goes wrong mid-flight. Know the rules,"},{"speaker":"of thumb is simple","startTime":324.83,"endTime":328.31,"body":"travel smarter, and keep your gear and everyone else on"},{"speaker":"of thumb is simple","startTime":328.87,"endTime":332.23,"body":"that plane safe. If you found this useful, share it with someone who's heading out"},{"speaker":"of thumb is simple","startTime":332.23,"endTime":335.87,"body":"on a trip. And as always, you can find more tech tips, news,"},{"speaker":"of thumb is simple","startTime":335.87,"endTime":339.67,"body":"and deep dives listening right here with your host, Greg"},{"speaker":"of thumb is simple","startTime":339.99,"endTime":342.82,"body":"Doig. That's me. Once again, thanks for listening and come back soon."}]}