As the US gets serious about shifting to EVs, it will need many more batteries. A lot more.

It’s also going to need a skilled workforce to produce those batteries, as a new report from the Center for Automotive Research underscores.

The report emphasizes the growing need for a more robust battery workforce, as demand for lithium-ion batteries in the US is expected to grow sixfold by 2030.

Researchers, drawing from surveys of 158 respondents conducted by CAR (which was contracted through Argonne National Lab), identified “significant” skills gaps in the battery industry; worker shortages; recruitment and retention challenges; the need for additional training and education; and expectations that hiring demand will grow for years to come.

“The United States faces serious challenges with the anticipated surge in battery demand, signifying a time-sensitive and nationwide need to fortify industry with a skilled workforce,” per the report.

Engineers, technicians, and assemblers represented the biggest shortages industrywide. The report also identified skills gaps in areas like safety, manufacturing, electrochemistry, battery management systems, battery chemistry, and product and system design.

Lisa Krusemark, an industry analyst at CAR and one of the report’s authors, told Tech Brew that one of the main takeaways is the importance of education that better aligns with the industry’s needs: “There are…different efforts that are gaining some momentum, but now it’s about centralizing that information, getting everyone together, and connecting the dots to say, ‘What are our education and training resources here? What is available for someone who’s currently in the workforce who needs to either re-skill or upskill in their current position, as their industry changes or as their role changes?’”

Keep reading here.—JG

How? With Morning Brew’s engaged audience of 22m+ monthly readers, of course.

Our unique community of young, hard-to-reach readers (who are 1.7x more likely to have a household income of $150k+) can give your B2B offerings the valuable visibility you’re looking for.

B2B decision-makers know how crucial it is to get their business’s potential in front of the right s, and the Brew’s paid advertising opportunities connect your brand to our audience by leveraging our popular B2B-centric franchise newsletters, specialized events, and skyrocketing cache of multimedia content.

Morning Brew is powered by the knowledge our readers trust us to deliver. From Retail Brew’s trending insights to Healthcare Brew’s timely updates, we’ve got a B2B Brew for you. Which one will you choose to grow with?

Advertise with us.

If you recently installed a smart doorbell from one of the internet’s most common online retailers, package thieves could be the least of your problems.

According to a report released last week by Consumer Reports, the popular Eken and Tuck video doorbells—sold by Amazon, Walmart, and other retailers for about $30—could provide backdoor access into users’ at-home networks.

“They’re pretty cheap, which is why some people might have gone for them. But as we’ve seen with a lot of IoT products, when they’re super cheap, sometimes, they cut some corners,” CR’s director of tech policy, Justin Brookman, told us.

The security issue first came to CR’s attention while its researchers performed routine product assessments, leading to the discovery that the Eken and Tuck models “appeared to be the same product under different brand names.”

Overall, CR found roughly a dozen “seemingly identical” video doorbells under different names being sold across retail sites including Temu, Sears, and Shein, all manufactured by Shenzhen, China-based Eken Group Ltd. CR also found that they all pair with the same mobile app, the Eken-owned Aiwit, through which users control the devices.

Major red flag? The most notable security vulnerability CR discovered? Any person standing near the doorbell could “pair” their phone with it and take control of the device, Brookman said. Even after the device owner regains control, the stranger could continue to access images from the camera, Bookman said. This leaves the devices ripe for exploitation by bad actors.

Keep reading here.—KG

FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel kicked off a new conversation on the obligations of vehicle manufacturers regarding connected car features that commonly act as a gateway to stalking and abuse.

In a proposal floated last week, Rosenworcel asked her Federal Communications Commission colleagues to “seek comment on the types and frequency of use of connected car services that are available in the marketplace today.”

The proposed rules would also collect input on “what steps connected car service providers can proactively take to protect survivors from the misuse of connected car services,” according to an FCC news release.

What’s at stake: “Survivors of domestic abuse shouldn’t have to choose between giving up their vehicle and feeling safe,” Rosenworcel said in a statement. “We must ensure car manufacturers and wireless carriers understand the full impact of the connectivity tools in new vehicles and how these applications can be used to stalk, harass, and intimidate.”

As Tech Brew previously reported, Rosenworcel queried automakers in January, asking Ford, General Motors, Mercedes-Benz, and others to detail their connected vehicle features and what steps they take to ensure users remain in control of their data and privacy. She suggested the automakers carry responsibilities under the Safe Connections Act, which helps domestic-violence victims get out of phone plans shared with an abuser.—KG

Rack it up, stack it up . With Apple Card in hand, you earn up to 3% Daily Cash back on every purchase. That’s right—every purchase. This is real cash for you to spend or grow automatically at 4.50% APY when you open a high-yield Savings account through Apple Card. Apply to Apple Card to start earning.