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Tesla investigating the cause of Model S garage fire in Toronto

A Tesla owner in Toronto returned from a drive only to have his fire alarms go off shortly after powering down his Model S in an incident that is once again raising concerns about the electric hatchback's safety. Where previous cases of Model S combustion were anything but spontaneous -the car was always involved in an impact before going up in flames - this latest case has no obvious cause.
According to Bloomberg, as far as its owner knows, this particular Model S was not involved in a collision during the drive. It also wasn't charging when the fire started. According to Tesla, though, it wasn't any of the Model S' major components that caused the fire.
"In this particular case, we don't yet know the precise cause, but have definitely determined that it did not originate in the battery, the charging system, the adapter or the electrical receptacle, as these components were untouched by fire," said Tesla in an official statement.

Recharge Wrap-up: Tesla says it will adapt cars to China's charging standard, Toyota previews Mirai for NY officials

Tesla says it will adapt its cars to meet China's charging standards. As Tesla sales in China fail to meet targets, in part due to range anxiety, the company has been working to build chargers for its vehicles to allay concerns surrounding its unavailability and its incompatibility with the country's charging standard. While China says it won't support charging infrastructure incompatible with its own, Tesla says, "We will fully cooperate with the Chinese government in drafting the national charging standards as well as building public charging infrastructure." Cooperation stands to help Tesla meet its sales goals in China, and to help China meet its goal of promoting electric vehicles. Read more at The Wall Street Journal. Abstract Ocean offers LED replacements for the Tesla Model S license plate bulbs. The folks at Teslarati purchased and installed a set to review and shared the results. At $21.99, the LED License Plate Bulb Kit offers a slightly more high-tech lighting solution to match the high-tech nature of the Model S, and is appropriately inexpensive for a decidedly minor upgrade. It is also very easy to install, requiring just a Phillips-head screwdriver and a few minutes. While you're not likely to see any significant energy savings from the LED bulbs, the reviewer likes the look and is happy with the customization experience. Read more at Teslarati. Toyota and Air Liquide hosted a ride-and-drive of the Toyota Mirai at the New York State Capitol. As the hydrogen fuel cell car gets closer to its US launch, Toyota has been hosting informational events to get the word out about the vehicle and hydrogen technology. At the event, which included an informational session on the hydrogen economy, elected officials got to get behind the wheel of the zero emissions vehicle. "After more than a century with the automobile, we are making decisions about socially significant technologies aimed at building a true hydrogen society over the next 100 years," says Toyota Group Vice President of Government Affairs Steve Ciccone. Air Liquide and Toyota are teaming up to develop hydrogen fueling infrastructure in the Northeast US. The Mirai goes on sale in the Northeast in 2016. Read more from Air Liquide.

This anti-Tesla conspiracy theory isn't nearly as creative as it could be

Here we go again. Remember the anti-Tesla "truther" leaflets that were going around San Francisco a few months ago? There's another bit anti-Tesla message making the rounds, but this time we just don't find the same level of creative detail. As published on Gas 2.0 and copied for your reading pleasure below, the screed claims that a number of Senators and White House staffers were bribed to allow the "toxic tesla crime-mobile" on the street. You know, the one that "is full of lies and cancer causing material." And there's also this bombshell: "Some of the people involved have worked at Tesla and claim to have witnessed: 'Organized crime on a first hand basis.'" Well, then, let's call the cops right this moment. But wait, the conspiracy runs deep, apparently, "Members found out that major media outlet owners (Engadget, Google, AUTOBLOG GREEN [sic], Gizmodo, Jalopnik, etc.) had stock in the Tesla and battery cartels and, thus, covered up the first investigation results." For the record, none of us here at AutoblogGreen have or are allowed to have Tesla stock, so we can knock that rumor down right now. But let's not let the facts get in the way of a good story. All in all, this little tirade isn't nearly as good as the last one, but we'll take this sort of creative fiction any day. The truth is out there. THIS IS YOUR TESLA MOTORS INTERVENTION: BORN IN BRIBES AND CORRUPTION, FORGED IN FIRES, AND MORE FIRES, AND STILL MORE FIRES AND SOME EXPLOSIONS, THE TOXIC TESLA CRIME-MOBILE THAT YOU ARE DRIVING IS FULL OF LIES AND CANCER CAUSING MATERIAL. WE WANTED YOU TO KNOW THAT THE LOOK ON PEOPLE'S FACES, WHEN YOU DRIVE BY, MAY NOT BE ENVY BUT, RATHER: DISGUST! BRIBED: 5 Senators, 8 Senior Agency Staff and 2 White House Staff. Why do "YOU" want to be a part of that? Let's examine the facts and details ... ... Some of the people involved have worked at Tesla and claim to have witnessed: "Organized crime on a first hand basis." Two members have subscriptions to the Axciom Privacy Abuse database. They thought: "hmmm, why not use something evil for good purposes by helping to inform, and save, hapless Tesla owners who got screwed during the information Green-wash!" Members found out that major media outlet owners (Engadget, Google, AUTOBLOG GREEN, Gizmodo, Jalopnik, etc.) had stock in the Tesla and battery cartels and, thus, covered up the first investigation results. They want to clean the market more completely than an email "accident" on an IRS Hard Drive.