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Feds decide against investigating Tesla Model S fire

Despite earlier reports, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has announced it will not be filing a formal investigation into the fire that engulfed a Tesla Model S earlier this month, as the agency says there was no evidence to suggest the fire was due to a manufacturer defect or that the car was in violation of government-mandated safety standards, according to Automotive News.
The NHTSA's decision whether to investigate was delayed, as the fire happened on the first day of the US government shutdown. AN reports that as of October 22, the administration was still "gathering data," according to a statement by Administrator David Strickland.
The October 1 fire that torched the critically acclaimed EV was started after an impact with a "large metallic object," according to multiple sources including the driver/owner. As we reported on October 3, despite the car-destroying blaze, Tesla maintained that the battery pack acted exactly as designed, by containing the blaze to just one of the battery pack's 16 modules, rather than sending the whole lithium-ion unit up in flames.

Recharge Wrap-up: utility sells discounted Powerwall, Nissan-Renault builds 340K EVs

Vermont electric utility Green Mountain Power is selling discounted Tesla Powerwalls to its customers in hopes of balancing the grid. The battery packs would be used not just to help customers store renewable energy for home solar systems or as backup power, but also to occasionally discharge power back to the grid when needed. In addition to this decentralized energy storage being useful to customers, it also benefits the utility by taking demand off energy generating infrastructure during periods of peak demand. The pilot project will put 500 Tesla Powerwalls in customers' homes. Learn more at Green Car Reports, or in the story from Vermont Public Radio. Together, Nissan and Renault have built 340,000 electric cars. The allied Japanese and French automakers hit 100,000 EVs in July 2013, 200,000 in November 2014, and a quarter million in June of 2015. The Nissan Leaf, which first went on sale at the end of 2010, makes up the bulk of the EVs the Renault-Nissan Alliance has sold. Renault delivered its 50,000th Zoe EV in April 2016. Leaf sales have declined in the US in recent months, due at least in part to the anticipation of the Chevrolet Bolt and Tesla Model 3. Nissan, however, is expected to update the Leaf with a 200-mile driving range in the coming years. Read more at Green Car Reports. Students at the Bearys Institute of Technology (BIT) in Karnataka, India have built what they call the Hybrid Water Car. The car uses a system to electrolyze hydrogen from water and add it to the fuel for more efficient combustion. The system has been placed into a chopped up, lightweighted Maruti Omni. While the benefits of onboard hydrogen electrolyzers have been debated for some time, the BIT students don't plan to stop there, as their next project car will be fueled completely by hydrogen. Read more from Car and Bike. Facebook has hired Rich Heley away from Tesla. The former Tesla VP of Product Technology is making the move to the social media giant's new Building 8 research lab. Heley joined Tesla in November 2013 after working at Apple. Read more at Automotive News.

Longtime Tesla rival Henrik Fisker exits Twitter after Musk reaches deal to buy platform

Electric vehicle pioneer and Tesla competitor Henrik Fisker exited Twitter this week after his old rival Elon Musk reached an agreement to buy the social media platform for $44 billion. Fisker, who oversees electric vehicle maker Fisker Inc., wrote on Instagram Tuesday: “I believe 100% in free speech. But I do not want my free speech to be actively managed or controlled by a competitor. And I do not want a competitor to determine how my followers experience Fisker as we grow our company.” FiskerÂ’s Twitter handle no longer exists, though his companyÂ’s Twitter feed remained active as of Tuesday with a post of Henrik Fisker test driving a vehicle. Musk did not appear to directly react to FiskerÂ’s move on Tuesday, tweeting two general messages about free speech. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Fisker and Musk have long been adversaries. Tesla sued Fisker in 2008 alleging his design company stole Tesla technology and used it to develop his own vehicle. An arbitrator ruled in favor of Fisker. Henrik Fisker did design work on the Tesla Model S sedan before the car launched, when the project was known by the codename WhiteStar. In the early 2010s, FiskerÂ’s first carmaker, Fisker Automotive, was a rival to Tesla and, for a while, they were on nearly equal footing as Fisker promised to bring his attractive sedan called the Karma to market followed up by a string of sleek cars and crossovers. The company, however, had issues with its battery packs and was hit with a string of bad luck, including losing a shipment of vehicles due to fires and floods related to Hurricane Sandy in 2012. It went bankrupt in 2013. The EV landscape has changed dramatically since then, with most major automakers investing heavily in the technology and newcomers like Lucid and Rivian joining the fray. Tesla, meanwhile, took off and catapulted Musk to even greater international fame, along with his PayPal and SpaceX ventures. Henrik Fisker regrouped and founded Fisker Inc. in 2016. It went public in 2020 and is planning to launch the Ocean SUV this year. Before founding EV startups, Fisker was known as a noted sports-car designer who counts the 2005 Aston Martin V8 Vantage and 1999 BMW Z8 among his highlights. Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Green Fisker Tesla Electric Elon Musk Twitter Henrik Fisker