E-ZPass Tag and VHS Tape

[Rothman]

Got a stupid question:  Would an E-ZPass tag negatively affect VHS tape if stored in the same location?

[kalvado]

I can think of 2 ways that can happen, but that would involve significant internal malfunction of the tag.
There is a pretty big lithium battery inside, if it fails with enough heat or leakage it can damage anything nearby. Never heard of such E-ZPass failure, though, those batteries are not engineered as aggressively as those in cell phones today.
Second one is a bit more nuanced: with some sort of short, electronic or moisture, quick battery discharge may generate high field. Again, that kills the tag on the spot.

Normal tag in normal standby mode should be harmless...

[Rothman]

Thanks.