Kickstart: More storms for waterlogged Gulf Coast

I know this sounds familiar, but I swear this information is new. There's a new tropical storm off the U.S. Gulf Coast that could impact businesses in the region.

Tropical Storm Beta (they used all the regular storm names and they're now using the Greek alphabet) isn't expected to grow into hurricane status, but it was expected to bring heavy rains to a region that is still recovering from Hurricane Laura.

Emergency crews were already locating high-water vehicles in place for use near Galveston, Texas, early on Sept. 21, while Entergy Corp. — the power company that covers Louisiana — warned that the storm could limit its work in restoring service in the Lake Charles, La., region. Power shortages have led to a delay in restarting production at some resin and feedstock plants in the area.

"Work in the air from bucket trucks cannot be performed in wind conditions of 30 mph or greater," Entergy said in a news release. "The companies' crews and contractors are on alert and ready to safely restore power to customers as quickly as possible."

At least one of the companies affected by power outages from Laura, Indorama Ventures Ltd., notes that its Port Neches, Texas, site was not damaged by the storm. Utilities are "largely reinstated in the area," and it has restarted most operating units, IVL said.

What, you didn't know Sept. 22 was Battery Day? Automaker Tesla set the date and Tesla CEO Elon Musk tweeted "many exciting things" will be unveiled at a special event.

(Your level of trust in whatever Musk tweets may vary.)

The event is expected to include announcements on Tesla's battery infrastructure, including details on the Fremont, Calif.-based company's plans to manufacture its own cells. Yahoo Finance reports Tesla is expected to show in-house manufacturing of a battery cell called "Roadrunner."

"Tesla watchers are expecting game-changing developments when it comes to energy density, increasing production and eventually lower battery costs," Yahoo Finance reported.

If you can't get into the limited-attendance Tesla event, you could check in on battery maker SK Innovation, which is nearing completion of building the first segment of its $2.5 billion battery production complex in Commerce, Ga.

Or if you'd like to celebrate electric vehicles in general, rather than a specific company, then hold off on your party plans until next week. National Drive Electric Week is Sept. 26-Oct. 4.

Organizers of Detroit's North American International Auto Show announced Sept. 21 that they would move the 2021 show to Sept. 28-Oct. 9, 2021, rather than its previously scheduled June 2021 dates.

Not only that, but the fall events will be the standard for the Detroit show going forward.

"We have talked with many of our partners, particularly the OEMs, and they are fully on board and excited about the date change," NAIAS Executive Director Rod Alberts said in a news release.

Show dates for the fall have been confirmed for the next three years at the TCF Center (formerly called Cobo Center), organizers said.

The announcement follows a canceled June 2020 show, which would have been the first time for the Detroit show in the summer after a long history of auto shows in January.