Outspoken Tesla CEO Elon Musk says that his electric car building automaker’s products are “safer” than gas-powered vehicles after reports about a battery fire circulated in the media, pushing the company’s stock down.

“For consumers concerned about fire risk, there should be absolutely zero doubt that it is safer to power a car with a battery,” a blog post attributed to Musk says.

Tesla stock closed at $173.31 last night following news that a Model S caught fire in Kent, Washington.  Shares were at a record-high $191.83 the day before the fire was reported. Today, the stock closed at $180.98.�

A report published by the Kent Regional Fire Authority states the driver of the Model S hit a piece of debris in SR-167′s HOV lane about 20 miles south of downtown Seattle and pulled off the freeway when the car started running poorly.  The S smoked and quickly burst into flames towards the bottom of the off-ramp, but the driver had enough time to get out safely and call for help.

Fire fighters say spraying water made the flames worse so they put out the initial blaze using a dry chemical extinguisher.  When the smoke cleared, they realized the car’s lithium-ion battery pack was still burning but they couldn’t access it so they were forced to take apart the front end of the vehicle and puncture several holes in the pack to help the water reach the flames.

A jack was used to gain access to the underside of the car, which was still on fire, but there was no way to reach the battery pack so firefighters cut a hole through the front structural member to spray water on the last remaining flames and put the fire out once and for all.

Tesla blames the fire on the collision with a “large metallic object” and points out the flames did not reach the passenger compartment or spread to the entire battery pack thanks to the Model S’ safe design.

“Because each module within the battery pack is, by design, isolated by fire barriers to limit any potential damage, the fire in the battery pack was contained to a small section in the front of the vehicle,” explained a company spokesperson in a statement.

No other Model S fires have been reported since the car went on sale in June of 2012.

(Warning: Video contains strong language)<![CDATA[
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The EPA has released fuel economy figures for the six-speed automatic-equipped 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray.

 
The self-shifting version of America’s sports car is good for 16 mpg in the city and 28 mpg on the highway, numbers that each represent decreases of one mpg from the seven-speed manual model.

 

All Corvette Stingrays utilize a 6.2-liter LT1 V8 equipped with direct injection, variable valve timing and cylinder deactivation. In standard form, the pushrod mill is good for 455 horsepower and 460 lb-ft of torque, while an available performance exhaust system ups output to 460 ponies and 465 lb-ft of twist.

 

In September, the Corvette Stingray’s first full month on the market, 38 percent of the 451 examples delivered were equipped with the stick shift. That’s a more than respectable take rate for a manual in the U.S., but Chevrolet believes it won’t last; early Corvette adopters tend to be enthusiasts, and once more mainstream customers enter the mix, the automatic’s sales percentage is expected to climb.

 

Rumors have suggested that Chevrolet is readying a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox to replace the existing six-speed auto, a move that could increase automatic transmission demand even further.

Photo by Andrew Ganz. <![CDATA[
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BMW has launched a new M Laptimer app designed to furnish iPhone-wielding, track-going owners with a wealth of performance information.

 

Available as a free download from the iTunes store, the app performs many of the functions of a pricey data logging setup by utilizing info from the vehicle’s onboard computer and GPS systems to generate track maps and record lap times.

 

A wide variety of other details can be accessed, including throttle and braking inputs, engine rpm, g-force and ambient temperature. Users can zoom in and out, rewind and fast forward through the track recordings.

 

A Comparison Mode displays individual or dual runs in real time – including laps shared by other users – so amateur racers can hone their skills by seeing where more experienced drivers tackled a course differently.

 

For those feeling particularly good about their lap times, a social media function lets users share results on Facebook and Twitter.

 

Notably, the BMW M Laptimer App is compatible only with vehicles – both M Division and normal models – equipped with BMW Apps, a system that cannot be retrofitted after the vehicle leaves the factory.

 
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Toyota’s all-new 2014 Toyota Corolla compact sedan has received a Marginal rating in the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s demanding small overlap frontal crash test.

 
Although one step above the IIHS’ lowest “Poor” rating, the Corolla’s performance marks a continuation of Toyota’s difficulties with the test – several of the automaker’s recent models, including the 2013, Camry, Prius V and RAV4, have been rated as Poor.

 

Toyota’s highest ranked vehicle, the Scion tC, earned an Acceptable mark.

 

During the course of the test, which simulates a collision at 40 mph with a solid, immovable barrier impacting 25 percent of the vehicle’s front end (similar to hitting a telephone pole), the driver’s space in the Corolla was seriously compromised.

 

The results showed that an equivalent real-world crash could potentially result in significant injuries to the driver’s lower right leg, and that the driver’s head would be susceptible to contact with the A-Pillar and dashboard due to the impact shifting the steering wheel and its airbag to the right.

 

Despite the Corolla’s flop in the small overlap test, its strong showing in the IIHS’ other tests mean it will still receive the institute’s second-highest rating of Top Safety Pick. The Top Safety Pick+ rating is reserved only for cars with small overlap scores of Acceptable or Good.

 

In a recent IIHS test of the Corolla’s competition in the compact segment, half of the twelve models tested – including vehicles like the Dodge Dart, Hyundai Elantra, Honda Civic and Ford Focus – earned the Top Safety Pick+ designation.

 

Back in August, Toyota pledged to address its models’ struggles in the small overlap with a series of engineering updates.

 

“Each vehicle has its own countermeasure schedule,” Osamu Nagata, CEO of Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America Inc, said at the time. “As soon as designs are ready and parts are fixed, we’ll have running changes for any vehicle [that performed poorly.]”

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The EPA has published efficiency ratings for the 2014 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra’s range-topping 6.2-liter V8.

 
Like the GM pickups’ other new “EcoTec” engines, the big eight combines an old-fashioned pushrod design with modern technologies like direct-injection, variable valve timing and cylinder deactivation. The result is 420 horsepower, 460 lb-ft of torque and fuel economy of 15 mpg in the city and 21 mpg on the highway.

 

Opt for four-wheel-drive, and mileage falls to 14/20 mpg. A six-speed automatic handles shifting duties for all Siverado and Sierra models. 

 

To put those numbers in context, the Ram 1500’s 395 horsepower, 410 lb-ft of torque 5.7-liter HEMI V8 is rated just slightly higher – 15/22 mpg – with an eight-speed automatic. The Ford F-150’s 6.2-liter V8 churns out 411 ponies and 434 lb-ft while returning only 13/18 mpg.

 

The 6.2-liter will be offered as a $1,995 option on Silverado LTZ and High Country trims along with GMC Sierra and Denali models, with sales expected to begin later this fall.

Photos by Andrew Ganz. <![CDATA[
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