Business Briefs – January 10, 2018

Got Batteries? Outage Stalls Giant Tech Show in Las Vegas

LAS VEGAS (AP) – What happens to all those internet-connected refrigerators, robots and other devices when the power goes out?

Thousands of people attending the world’s biggest consumer technology show got a chance to test the battery life of the latest gadgets Wednesday when some showrooms and hallways went dark inside the vast Las Vegas Convention Center.

The power has been out for at least an hour in some areas of the annual CES event. Conference organizers said that it was an “isolated power outage” they were working to resolve.

Dozens of reporters queued quietly for lunch boxes in a darkened press room. The room was dimly lit thanks to emergency overhead lights and the glow of laptops running on battery power.

Toyota-Mazda Plant Announced in Alabama

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) – Japanese automakers Toyota and Mazda on Wednesday announced plans to build a huge $1.6 billion joint-venture auto plant in Alabama that will eventually employ about 4,000 people.

Several states had competed for the coveted project, which will be able to turn out 300,000 vehicles per year and will produce the Toyota Corolla compact car for North America and a new small SUV from Mazda. Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey and company executives announced that the facility is coming to the Huntsville area in the state’s northern area not far from the Tennessee line.

“Thank you for choosing Alabama. “Thank you for believing in the potential of our people in the great state of Alabama,” Ivey said. “Welcome to sweet home Alabama.”