Reuters: Regulatory News: UPDATE 2-Boeing, battery maker at odds over 787 fix - WSJ

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UPDATE 2-Boeing, battery maker at odds over 787 fix - WSJ Feb 28th 2013, 04:38 Wed Feb 27, 2013 11:38pm EST * Boeing's Conner says no dispute with GS Yuasa * Boeing says proposed 787 fix permanent, not just interim * Proposal takes into account battery fire, overheating risk SAN FRANCISCO/TOKYO, Feb 28 (Reuters) - Boeing Co and the Japanese firm that makes lithium-ion batteries for the 787 Dreamliner disagree about what should be included in a package of measures aimed at getting the airliner back in the air, the Wall Street Journal reported. But Boeing Commercial Airplanes CEO Ray Conner told reporters in Tokyo that there was no dispute with GS Yuasa Corp about the proposed solution, adding the planemaker has "a great partnership" with the Kyoto-based battery maker. All 50 of the technologically-advanced Dreamliners in service have been grounded since mid-January after a battery fire on a Japan Airlines Co Ltd 787 at Boston airport and a second battery incident on an All Nippon Airways Co Ltd flight in Japan. GS Yuasa believes the battery fix should include a voltage regulator that could stop electricity from entering the battery, the Journal said, citing government and industry officials. Boeing proposed its fix to the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) last Friday. The previous day, GS Yuasa told the FAA that its laboratory tests indicated a power surge outside the battery, or other external problem, started the failures on the two batteries, according to the newspaper. Boeing's solution included a stronger containment box, a battery with greater cooling capacity and other changes. The FAA confirmed the meeting with GS Yuasa, but gave no details. A GS Yuasa spokesman declined to comment. PERMANENT SOLUTION Following talks with Japan's transport minister Akihiro Ota on Thursday, Boeing's Conner said the company's proposal to the FAA was a permanent solution, not an interim fix. "We see nothing in the technology that tells us that it is not the appropriate thing to do. The solution set we put in place provides three layers of protection," he said in response to a reporter's question on whether Boeing would consider dropping the lithium-ion battery from the lightweight, fuel-efficient Dreamliner. "We feel this solution takes into account any possible incident that may occur, any casual factor that could cause an event, and we are very confident we have a fix that will be permanent and allow us to continue with the technology." Earlier, Boeing spokesman Marc Birtel said investigations had not shown that overcharging was a factor, and he noted the 787 had quadruple-redundant protection against overcharging. He did not respond directly to comments about GS Yuasa, but said Boeing was coordinating with key suppliers. No comment was immediately available from Securaplane Technologies Inc, a U.S. unit of Britain's Meggitt Plc, which makes the charger for the 787 batteries. All Nippon Airways and Japan Airlines operate nearly half of the Dreamliners that Boeing has delivered to date. Link this Share this Digg this Email Reprints

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