Raphael Stevens

General Motors said Monday it expects to begin replacing battery modules in Chevrolet Bolt EVs, which were recalled due to fire risk, as soon as next month.
The timing follows the automaker’s battery supplier LG Chem restarting production of battery cells with updated manufacturing processes at plants in Michigan, GM said.
GM has confirmed 13 battery fires globally.

A 2019 Chevrolet Bolt EV caught fire at a home in Cherokee County, Georgia on Sept. 13, 2021, according to the local fire department.
Cherokee County Fire Department

DETROIT — General Motors announced Monday that it expects to begin replacing battery modules in Chevrolet Bolt EVs, which were recalled due to fire risk, as soon as next month.
The timing comes after the automaker’s battery supplier LG Chem restarted production of battery cells with updated manufacturing processes at plants in Michigan, GM said. Cell production went down last month following two rare manufacturing issues forcing GM to recall more than 140,000 EVs due to risk of the batteries spontaneously catching fire.

GM has confirmed 13 battery fires globally. The automaker has identified the problems as a torn anode and a folded separator, both of which need to be present in the same battery cell for a fire to occur. EV battery packs are made up of modules that hold the cells.

The recall is expected to cost the automaker $1.8 billion, some of which it is negotiating to recoup from LG Chem, according to GM. Depending on the vehicle, GM may have to replace some, if not all, of the modules.
In addition to shipping new battery modules to dealers beginning mid-October, GM also plans to roll out a software diagnostic update for battery monitoring in the next 60 days.
GM said the diagnostic software will be designed to detect specific abnormalities that might indicate a damaged battery in Bolt EVs by monitoring the battery performance, alerting customers of any anomalies and prioritizing damaged battery modules for replacement.
Customers will have to take their Bolt EVs into a dealership for the battery module replacements as well as the software update. Owners will be able to start to schedule software installation in about 60 days, while GM has established a notification process that will inform affected customers when their replacement modules will be available.

The Vermont State Police released this photo of the 2019 Chevrolet Bolt EV that caught fire on July 1, 2021 in the driveway of state Rep. Timothy Briglin, a Democrat.
Vermont State Police

GM will prioritize Chevy Bolt customers whose batteries were manufactured during specific time frames when GM said battery defects appear to be clustered.
“Resuming battery module production is a first step and we’ll continue to work aggressively with LG to obtain additional battery supply. In addition, we’re optimistic a new advanced diagnostic software will provide more convenience for our customers,” Doug Parks, GM executive vice president of product development, purchasing and supply chain, said in a release.
The recalled vehicles include all Chevy Bolt EVs, including a recently released larger version of the car known as the Bolt EUV.
Due to the battery problem, production of the Bolt EV and Bolt EUV has been down since Aug. 23 at a Michigan plant. GM last week confirmed manufacturing of those vehicles is not expected to resume until at least Oct. 15.
GM says owners with questions should visit www.chevy.com/boltevrecall, contact its Chevrolet EV help line at 1-833-EVCHEVY or contact their preferred Chevrolet EV dealer.

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The 73rd annual Television Academy awards show saw its viewership rise to 7.4 million, according to Nielsen’s preliminary numbers.
While the 2021 audience was 16% bigger than last year’s, top Hollywood award shows have faced declining viewership over the past decade.
Last year’s show drew only 6.3 million total viewers — an all-time low.

The Emmy Award statue at the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences campus in Los Angeles during a “Sneak Peek” behind-the scenes reveal of television’s biggest night at the Television Academy in Los Angeles on Wednesday morning.
Al Seib | Los Angeles Times | Getty Images

The 73rd annual Television Academy awards show, which aired Sunday on CBS, saw its viewership rise to 7.4 million, according to Nielsen’s preliminary numbers.
While the 2021 audience was 16% bigger than last year’s, top Hollywood award shows have faced declining viewership over the past decade. Last year’s predominantly virtual show drew only 6.3 million total viewers — an all-time low.

Even the Oscars has suffered. Last April’s ceremony had the fewest viewers the award show has ever received. February’s Golden Globes saw ratings plummet 60% to just 6.9 million viewers from 18.3 million viewers during the prior year.
It’s entirely possible that these shows are drawing more eyeballs than what is being reported, as Nielsen data doesn’t include figures for viewers who watch on streaming platforms. Still, it seems that audiences have largely become disinterested in these ceremonies.
And who can blame them? Topping out at over three hours long, these ceremonies can contain 16 to 20 minutes of advertisements every hour and are often packed with less-than-funny sketches that seem to make the ceremonies even longer.
Sunday’s show got off to a raucous start, with host Cedric the Entertainer opening the night with a karaoke rendition of “Just a Friend” by Biz Markie, aided by Rita Wilson, LL Cool J and Lil Dicky.

Cedric The Entertainer, Rita Wilson, and LL Cool J appear at the 73rd Emmy Awards.
CBS Photo Archive | CBS | Getty Images

The audience, which included about 500 nominees and guests, joined in, standing up, clapping and singing along. The energy level was contagious for the first hour of the show as “Ted Lasso” snagged two back-to-back acting awards, leading to emotional speeches from first-time winners Hannah Waddingham and Brett Goldstein.

Then that energy dropped. Aside from a clever bit from the cast of “Schitt’s Creek,” while they presented the best-directing awards for drama and comedy, and a pretaped sketch featuring popular actors who didn’t win Emmy awards, most of the comedic interludes performed during the night flopped.
This included a short sketch of Cedric interacting with his previous TV wives, a cutaway joke about the Met Gala that featured cast members from his CBS show “The Neighborhood,” and Cedric inserting himself into notable TV moments like the vice presidential debate.
Sunday’s Primetime Emmys did have some steep competition, as they coincided with a football matchup between the Baltimore Ravens and the Kansas City Chiefs, which tallied 17.69 million viewers.

Correction: A previous version of this story used preliminary audience size. According to a final count, last year’s show was watched by 6.3 million viewers, according to Nielsen.

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Apple could release a new iPhone with a fingerprint scanner underneath the screen in 2023 and an iPhone with a foldable screen in 2024, TF Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said in a note Monday.
Next year, Apple’s high-end “pro” models could include a new design with a “punch-hole” display for the front-facing camera, instead of the notch on current devices, and a 48-megapixel camera.

A shopper walks past an ad for Apple’s iPhone 12 outside a store in Hong Kong on May 24, 2021.
Budrul Chukrut | SOPA Images | LightRocket | Getty Images

Apple could release a new iPhone with a fingerprint scanner underneath the screen in 2023, and an iPhone with a foldable screen in 2024, TF Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said in a note on Monday.
While Apple’s latest iPhone hits store shelves Friday, investors and analysts are already looking ahead to see which years might bring big iPhone upgrades that drive growth and sales. Kuo is known for accurately predicting Apple hardware releases before they are official because he keeps such close tabs on the company’s supply chain.

In 2022, Apple’s high-end “pro” models could include a new design with a “punch-hole” display for the front-facing camera, instead of the notch on current devices. These phones could also be equipped with a 48-megapixel wide-lens camera, Kuo wrote. That would mean much sharper images.
Apple could also release new lower-cost iPhones next year, Kuo wrote, including a less expensive iPhone SE with 5G connectivity. The current model SE retails for $399. Apple is also working on a “more affordable” iPhone with a 6.7-inch screen, Kuo said. Apple’s current phone with that size screen, the iPhone 13 Pro Max, retails for $1,099 or more.
Kuo warned that all these predictions depend on Apple’s and its suppliers’ development process and that he had previously predicted some of these devices would release sooner.
“We predict that the new 2H23 iPhone will support under-display fingerprint,” Kuo wrote, using a term for the second half of 2023. “However, the foldable design may be the most critical selling point for high-end smartphones by then, so we still need to monitor the contribution of the under-display fingerprint to the shipment of the new 2H23 iPhone.”
Apple investors are curious whether this year’s iPhones can continue to grow sales despite new models with marginal improvements such as better battery life. The iPhone 12 has been a hot seller. IPhone revenue was up 50% year-over-year last quarter.

Ultimately, Kuo expects 16% year-over-year growth in terms of the number of iPhones shipped in 2022, which would be mostly iPhone 13 sales, and 5%-7% growth in 2023.
This year, preorders for the iPhone 13 reflect higher demand than last year’s preorders for iPhone 12 models, Kuo said. Apple’s new iPhones will hit store shelves Friday, and preorders opened last week for customers who want to receive their devices on the first day. The delivery estimates on Apple’s website for preordered iPhones are a useful tool to gauge consumer demand for the new devices, Kuo wrote.
Preorder demand is higher for the more expensive new models, the iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max, which start at $999 instead of $699 for the mainstream models, Kuo said.
Although Apple has warned about issues getting the parts that it needs to build its devices in the current quarter, Kuo believes that Apple has increased production for its high-end devices and that supply is better than last year because the company addressed a shortage of telephoto camera parts. More

England’s men and women were due to play simultaneous two-match T20 series.
The ECB’s decision to pull out of their planned October matches in Rawalpindi follows the abandonment of New Zealand’s tour to Pakistan.

CHRISTCHURCH, NEW ZEALAND – NOVEMBER 01: Sam Curran of England runs in to bowl during game one of the Twenty20 International series between New Zealand and England at Hagley Oval on November 01, 2019 in Christchurch, New Zealand.
Kai Schwoerer | Getty Images Sport | Getty Images

England’s joint men’s and women’s tour of Pakistan next month has been canceled due to concerns over “mental and physical well-being”, the England and Wales Cricket Board has announced.
The historic trip, which would have been the first ever by an England women’s team and the first by their male counterparts since 2005, was in doubt from the moment New Zealand pulled out of their own series in Pakistan on Friday citing a security threat.

The men’s matches, which were intended to act as a warm-up for the T20 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates and Oman, were scheduled to be played in Rawalpindi on October 13 and 14. England’s women were also scheduled to play two T20 matches against Pakistan on the same dates as the men.
An ECB statement read: “The ECB Board convened this weekend to discuss these extra England Women’s and Men’s games in Pakistan and we can confirm that the Board has reluctantly decided to withdraw both teams from the October trip.

“The mental and physical well-being of our players and support staff remains our highest priority and this is even more critical given the times we are currently living in. We know there are increasing concerns about travelling to the region and believe that going ahead will add further pressure to a playing group who have already coped with a long period of operating in restricted Covid environments.
“There is the added complexity for our Men’s T20 squad. We believe that touring under these conditions will not be ideal preparation for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, where performing well remains a top priority for 2021.
“We understand that this decision will be a significant disappointment to the PCB, who have worked tirelessly to host the return of international cricket in their country. Their support of English and Welsh cricket over the last two summers has been a huge demonstration of friendship. We are sincerely sorry for the impact this will have on cricket in Pakistan and emphasize an ongoing commitment to our main touring plans there for 2022.”

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Peloton is aiming for more business outside the home, merging its selection of connected fitness equipment with Precor products online for hospitality customers.
The move comes after Peloton completed its acquisition of Precor in April. Precor manufactures the treadmills and ellipticals often found in commercial settings such as heath clubs, universities and hotels.
“We know that [having] our bikes in hotels and resorts around the world presents a great opportunity for lead-generation awareness of the Peloton product and content,” Peloton chief business officer Brad Olson told CNBC.

Peloton Interactive Inc. stationary bicycles sit on display at the company’s showroom on Madison Avenue in New York, U.S., on Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2019.
Jeenah Moon | Bloomberg | Getty Images

Peloton is looking beyond the home for its next stage of growth.
The company announced Monday it has created a single platform from which hospitality industry customers can buy both its connected fitness equipment and Precor products online. After leveraging demand from consumers forced inside by the coronavirus pandemic, Peloton aims to capitalize on a reopening economy.

The move comes after Peloton completed its $420 million acquisition of Precor in April. The deal not only gave Peloton manufacturing capacity in the United States, but also Precor’s slew of treadmills, cycles, ellipticals, rowers and other strength training equipment often found in commercial settings such as heath clubs, universities and hotels.
“This is really a B2B play for us,” said Brad Olson, Peloton’s chief business officer. “We’ve been selling Peloton bikes into hotels and resorts for years. … But this is really the culmination and one of the big elements of the deal rationale of why we purchased Precor.”
Peloton will also work with hotel partners to offer exercise cycles in rooms where requested.
“We know that [having] our bikes in hotels and resorts around the world presents a great opportunity for lead-generation awareness of the Peloton product and content,” Olson said.
Peloton does not break out sales to individuals versus its commercial business. But the company has acknowledged that most of its revenue comes from people who buy fitness machines for their home gyms.

Peloton signaled earlier this year that it wanted to grow its membership base through commercial partners as more people started to leave the house during the pandemic. Peloton launched a corporate wellness program, which gives perks to businesses that partner with the company and choose to outfit their office gyms with Peloton equipment.
Peloton also recently lowered the price of its exercise cycle in a bid to reach new users. The company has hinted that it is working on additional fitness products that will debut in the future.
The move to boost its commercial business comes after the company reported a wider-than-expected loss in its fiscal fourth quarter. Costs associated with a treadmill recall ate into sales. As it picks back up investments in marketing, Peloton said it doesn’t expect to return to profitability until fiscal 2023.
Peloton shares are down about 32% this year. The company has a market value of about $31 billion.

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Pfizer and BioNTech’s Covid vaccine is safe and appears to generate a robust immune response in a clinical trial of kids 5 to 11, the drugmakers announced.
The companies tested a two-dose regimen of 10 micrograms — about a third the dosage used for teens and adults — administered three weeks apart.
They plan to submit the data to the FDA and other health regulators “as soon as possible.”

A smaller dose of Pfizer and BioNTech’s Covid-19 vaccine is safe and generates a “robust” immune response in a clinical trial of kids ages 5 to 11, the drugmakers announced Monday.
The news couldn’t come any sooner for parents anxious to get their children vaccinated as kids start the new school year with the delta variant surging across America. Children’s Covid cases remain disturbingly high with 243,000 new infections during the week ended Sept. 9. — the second-highest number of kids’ cases since the beginning of the pandemic, according to the most recent data from the American Academy of Pediatrics.

The data, which included more than 2,200 children, will be submitted to the Food and Drug Administration and other health regulators “as soon as possible,” the companies said. Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said last week the company could submit data on children ages 5 to 11 by the end of this month. If the FDA spends as much time reviewing the data for that age group as it did for 12- to 15-year-olds, the shots could be available in time for Halloween.
The companies tested a two-dose regimen of 10 micrograms — about a third the dosage used for teens and adults — administered three weeks apart. They said the shots were well tolerated and produced an immune response and side effects comparable to those seen in a study of people ages 16 to 25.
Common side effects for teens and adults include fatigue, headache, muscle pain, chills, fever and nausea, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“We are eager to extend the protection afforded by the vaccine to this younger population, subject to regulatory authorization, especially as we track the spread of the Delta variant and the substantial threat it poses to children,” Bourla said in a press release that announced the results.

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The companies didn’t disclose many details about the trial, including whether any of the kids in the trial experienced myocarditis, a rare heart condition seen in a small number of adolescents and young adults.

So far, the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine has been cleared by the FDA for people as young as 12, while Moderna’s and Johnson & Johnson’s vaccines have been authorized for adults.
The FDA is expected to issue a decision sometime this week on which groups are eligible to get a third dose, or booster shot, of the Pfizer vaccine. An FDA advisory committee on Friday unanimously recommended Pfizer booster shots to people age 65 and older and other vulnerable Americans.
Additionally, Pfizer expects to release clinical trial data on how well its Covid vaccine works in children as young as 6 months to 5 years old as early as the end of October, he said.

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Discussions around finance are set to play a key role at COP26, which will be hosted by the U.K. in the Scottish city of Glasgow between Oct. 31 and Nov. 12.
According to the U.N., developed nations have previously said they would “jointly mobilize $100 billion per year by 2020 in support of climate action in developing countries.”

September 19, 2021: Prime Minister Boris Johnson boards RAF Voyager at Stansted Airport ahead of a visit to the United States.
Stefan Rousseau – PA Images | PA Images | Getty Images

There is a six out of 10 chance an agreement on climate finance will be reached before the forthcoming COP26 climate change summit, U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said.
In remarks made to the media during a flight to New York over the weekend, Johnson was asked about securing commitments related to climate finance and, according to the BBC, environmental targets over the next few days.

“Getting it all done this week is going to be a stretch,” he is reported to have said. “But I think getting it all done by COP, six out of 10. It’s going to be tough, but people need to understand that this is crucial for the world.”Discussions around finance are set to play a key role at COP26, which will be hosted by the U.K. in the Scottish city of Glasgow between Oct. 31 and Nov. 12.

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According to the U.N., developed nations have previously said they would “jointly mobilize $100 billion per year by 2020 in support of climate action in developing countries.”
This target is proving to be a challenge. Last week, the OECD said climate finance provided and mobilized by developed countries amounted to $79.6 billion in 2019. This represents a rise compared to the figure of $78.3 billion in 2018 but still falls short of the $100 billion.
“The limited progress in overall climate finance volumes between 2018 and 2019 is disappointing, particularly ahead of COP26,” Mathias Cormann, the OECD’s secretary-general, said in a statement reacting to the numbers.
“While appropriately verified data for 2020 will not be available until early next year it is clear that climate finance will remain well short of its target,” Cormann said. “More needs to be done.”

Johnson’s remarks were published by a number of outlets and on Monday morning the BBC broadcast an excerpt of the discussion. Johnson said while the U.K. had made a “big, big pledge” and “greatly reduced our CO2,” it needed other countries to step up to the plate.
“We’ve been emitting for centuries and these newly industrialized countries say ‘well, why should we pay such a big price?’ So the $100 billion a year that we need to raise is to support those countries [to] make the transition.”The U.K.’s official website for COP26 states it will “bring parties together to accelerate action towards the goals of the Paris Agreement and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.”
Described by the United Nations as a legally-binding international treaty on climate change, the Paris Agreement aims to “limit global warming to well below 2, preferably to 1.5 degrees Celsius, compared to pre-industrial levels.”
Monday will see Johnson and U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres hold what’s being described as an “informal leaders roundtable on climate action.” More