The old adage "ask and you shall receive" is ringing true for one billionaire entrepreneur.
Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla Motors, asked the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to investigate his company after several of its Model S electric cars caught fire during accidents. The federal agency announced Tuesday it would take on the investigation, USA Today reports.
See also: Elon Musk Blasts New York Times Tesla Breakdown As 'Fake'
Musk published a post on Tesla's blog Monday lashing out at the media for what he considered to be overblown coverage of the car fires, or as he put it, "seeking to make a sensation out of something that a simple Google search would reveal to be false."
Citing data from the National Fire Protection Association, Musk extrapolated that the rate of fires for gasoline cars is four-and-a-half times higher than his electric cars.
An NFPA report on fires in 2012 stated that fire departments respond to about one vehicle fire every three minutes. Three Tesla Model S cars caught fire during a five-week period leading up to Nov. 6.
Musk also makes the argument that fires in Tesla automobiles are less deadly because there have been no reported fatalities due to Model S fires since the car went into production last year, compared to several hundred for gas cars.
"It is also why arsonists tend to favor gasoline," Musk wrote. "Trying to set the side of a building on fire with a battery pack is far less effective."
In the blog post, Musk also wrote of how the NTSHA gave the Model S a record-setting safety rating in August.
In attempt to further quell critics, Musk announced that Tesla would reshape vehicle's suspension and warranty. The update to the suspension "will result in greater ground clearance at highway speeds," Musk wrote, and car's warranty will now cover fire damage, even if it's the result of driver error.
The NHTSA has not yet replied to our inquiry about the duration and nature of the investigation.
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