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Tesla says Germany concludes Model S fire probe without further action

It was the perfect storm: three Model S fires in six weeks were enough for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to start an investigation into the two US fires in mid-November, but as it turns out, the German government was paying attention too. According to Tesla, Germany's Kraftfahrt-Bundesamt (KBA), or Federal Motor Transport Authority, already has completed an investigation into the two US fires and the one in Mexico, found no manufacturer-related defects and will not take further measures.
According to a statement issued by Tesla, the automaker says it was contacted by the KBA about the post-crash fires, and it "provided the KBA with data and additional information regarding each of these incidents." The KBA subsequently sent a letter in German to Tesla saying the investigation was complete and that no manufacturer-related defects could be found. (Take a look at the letter here.)

Recharge Wrap-up: QR code hints at Tesla Supercharger in Mexico, Lyft tests scheduling

A QR code in a parking garage hints at an upcoming Tesla Supercharger in Mexico. The mysterious QR code directs to a tweet from Elon Musk where he affirms that Tesla will expand its charging network into Mexico "this year." The folks at Teslarati reached out to the automaker, and a spokesperson responded by saying, "Yes, we can confirm that we are planning on having our first Supercharger in Mexico in Cuernavaca City." That's about 50 miles south of Mexico City, where the country's lone Tesla store is located. Read more at Teslarati. Lyft is testing out a ride scheduling system for its ride-hailing service in San Francisco. When requesting a ride, users can select a pickup time up to 24 hours out, ensuring they'll be able to get where they need to go. Users can cancel or change the time up to 30 minutes before their scheduled ride. Lyft says it plans to expand the scheduling service to more users this summer. Read more from Lyft, or at Green Car Congress. Renault is partnering with other automakers and charging operators as part of the EU's Fast-E charging project. Fast-E seeks to install fast-charging infrastructure for electric vehicles along Germany and Belgium's main motorways, financed by the EU and nine companies, including Renault, BMW, Volkswagen and Nissan. The 278 charging stations will be installed every 50 miles along the major roadways by the end of the year, at a cost of about $20 million. A sister project in the Czech Republic and Slovakia plans to add another 30 charging stations in those countries. Read more in the press release below. Renault is a partner of the European fast-charging project Fast-E in Germany • Official launch of Fast-E project co-financed by the European Union and nine companies, including Renault, in Berlin and Brussels. • 241 charging stations installed in Germany and 37 in Belgium by the end of 2016. • A sister project between the Czech Republic and Slovakia adds another 30 charging stations. The 278 charging points set up every 80 km along Germany and Belgium's main motorways, will allow drivers of electric vehicles to "refuel" and extend their car's range. The total investment of the EU-funded cooperation is approximately ˆ18 million. Every one of the multi-standard fast-chargers spread out over four countries have AC and DC connections, allowing drivers to charge their vehicles' batteries easily and quickly. Electric vehicles can be charge up to 80% on the charging stations within an hour.

Toyota Prius remains best-selling vehicle in California, wireless charging tests underway

About one in every nine new cars in the US are sold in the California. If we're just looking at the four Toyota Prius hybrid variants, then the number becomes closer to one in three. Tesla Model S battery-electric vehicle sales? Try one in 2.7. For the second straight year, the Prius was the best-selling car in the Golden State. Toyota sold 69,728 Priuses there, almost a third of the more than 234,000 sold in the US in 2013. Prius sales in California alone were up almost 13 percent. And Toyota's ready to build upon that momentum with a new version of the Prius Plug-in Hybrid, saying that it's testing a wireless recharging system in Japan's Aichi Prefecture and will start similar tirals stateside later this year. We'll make the wild prediction that some of those tests, which involves magnetic resonance, will be in California. Meanwhile, Tesla's numbers were, in their own way, were more impressive. The California-based automaker sold 8,347 of its Model S units in the Golden State out of about 22,300 nationwide in 2012, Bloomberg News reports. In all, advanced-powertrain vehicles accounted for 9.3 percent of California new-vehicle sales, compared to 3.8 percent for the country, Bloomberg says, citing Hybrid Cars and Baum & Associates. Check out Toyota's press release on its California sales below. Prius Medals In The Golden State Toyota Prius is best-selling vehicle line in California Wireless charging testing for Prius Plug-in TORRANCE, Calif., Feb. 18, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- The Prius took home the gold in 2013 as the most popular vehicle-line in California for the second year in a row. The Prius Family (Prius Liftback, Prius v, Prius c and Prius Plug-in) took the podium in both 2012 and 2013 as the best-selling California vehicle name plate. 69,728 drivers hit the road in 2013, according to the California Auto Outlook Report, while 61,893 Californians joined the family in 2012. In the Golden State, the Prius Family outsells all other hybrid competitors combined. California drivers lead the country in adoption of vehicles powered, either wholly or partially, by electricity. 9.3% of vehicles sold in the state run on some form of electricity, according to the report. But despite the growing number of hybrid competitors, Toyota's hybrid leadership remains unmatched. In fact, one out of every two hybrids in California carries the Prius name plate.