2002 Honda Civic Floor Center Console Black 2578459 on 2040-parts.com

Tesla asks NHTSA to investigate fires

In response to concerns following a recent accident which appeared to result from road debris damaging the underside of a battery compartment of a Tesla Model S, causing a fire in the engine compartment, the company has announced that it has requested that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration conduct a full investigation into the fire incidents. In a blog post, Tesla CEO Elon Musk wrote the following about the investigation: "While we think it is highly unlikely, if something is discovered that would result in a material improvement in occupant fire safety, we will immediately apply that change to new cars and offer it as a free retrofit to all existing cars. Given that the incidence of fires in the Model S is far lower than combustion cars and that there have been no resulting injuries, this did not at first seem like a good use of NHTSA's time compared to the hundreds of gasoline fire deaths per year that warrant their attention." Tesla has also released a software update to the cars which will maintain their standard ride height at highway speeds, preventing the air suspension from lowering the car an extra inch at highway speeds for greater aerodynamic efficiency.

New ‘E10’ fuel could cost drivers £billions

A Government proposal to implement a new type of petrol fuel called ‘E10’ has been met with outrage, with consumer car publication What Car? branding the plans as “irresponsible.” E10 petrol could potentially cost UK drivers billions of pounds each year, as the new fuel is less efficient and more polluting than the current blend of petrol used in the UK. On Bing: see pictures of how petrol is made Scientists produce “petrol from air” Petrol sold in Britain already conforms to E5 rules, containing up to 5% bio-ethanol by volume.

McLaren P1 GTR: first official info on the 986bhp track-only P1

By Michael Karkafiris First Official Pictures 13 June 2014 14:40 Here’s the official confirmation of McLaren’s track-only version of the already insane P1. The McLaren P1 GTR will pack 986bhp (or a nice, round 1000ps in metric), 83 ponies more than its street-legal sibling, a wider track, full slick racing tyres and bigger downforce levels  than the regular P1 – if you can call a car like the P1 ‘regular’. Rumours talk about a fixed rear wing instead of the deployable one on the standard car.