Entertainment

Gruber Motors catches on fire again, several more Tesla Roadsters are lost

Published

3 years ago

October 18, 2021

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Gruber Motors, a shop best-known for working on Tesla vehicles, caught on fire again. The second time in 4 years.

It is believed that several more rare Tesla Roadsters have been lost.

Gruber Motors is a Phoenix-based shop that focused on offering services to Tesla owners.

They made a name for being one of the rare companies able to fix the “bricking” issues that some Tesla Roadsters vehicles.

The early electric vehicle had problems where the battery would become unusable and Tesla wouldn’t be able to fix it and instead would recommend a full battery replacement, which was expensive out of warranty.

Pete Gruber, CEO of Gruber Motors, developed a system to identify a dead cell or module and was able to only replace those and get the Roadster working again.

However, the company had a major setback in 2017 when its shop in Phoenix caught on fire, which destroyed at least 5 Tesla Roadsters and even a Tzero vehicle.

No one was hurt in the fire but some piece of electric vehicle history was lost.

Now Gruber has suffered a second fire at their new shop in Phoenix yesterday. The local fire department reported on the incident:

It doesn’t sound like anyone was hurt, but the extent of the damages are still unknown.

A Tesla owner who had their car at the shop when the fire happened gave an account of the aftermath saying that the entire interior of the shop was gone (via TMC):

“I have some sad news to report about our friends at Gruber motors in Phoenix. I was scheduled to pick up my car there today after it had been in for service. I received an email message from Gruber early in the morning that unfortunately they had had a fire at their shop and that while my car was OK because it was parked outside, my key has been destroyed in the fire. They wanted to make sure I had a spare key in order to pick up the car. I assumed it must’ve been a relatively small fire given that they were taking the time to confirm that I was still coming to pick up the car today and had the spare key. When I went to pick up the car this afternoon, though, I was shocked to see what had happened at the Gruber facility. Sadly, it looks as if much of the building’s interior and workshop has been destroyed. The roof seemed to be entirely gone, and there was a large team of people doing hazardous materials cleanup (I assume because of the batteries and other electrical components that had burned in the fire.)”

As many of 25 Tesla Roadsters could have been lost in the fire. The cause of the fire is still being investigated.

We contacted Gruber for more information and we will update if we get more details.

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Entertainment

Jamie Oliver withdraws book that ‘offended’ First Nation Australians

Published

14 hours ago

November 10, 2024

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Jamie Oliver withdraws book that 'offended' First Nation Australians

Jamie Oliver has withdrawn a children’s book he wrote from sale after criticism that it stereotyped First Nation Australians.

In his book, Billy And The Epic Escape, the TV chef tells the story of a First Nations girl living in foster care in an Indigenous community who gets abducted by the novel’s villain.

But the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education Corporation (Natsiec) blasted the book for contributing to the “erasure, trivialisation, and stereotyping of First Nations peoples and experiences”.

The body’s chief executive, Sharon Davis, said the book “ignores the violent oppression of First Nations people” and that its depictions of First Nations people and cultural practices were “irresponsible and damaging, reflecting a profound lack of understanding and respect”, according to The Guardian

In a statement, Oliver, 49, said: “I am devastated to have caused offence and apologise wholeheartedly.

“It was never my intention to misinterpret this deeply painful issue. Together with my publishers we have decided to withdraw the book from sale.”

A spokesman for publisher Penguin Random House said: “It is clear that our publishing standards fell short on this occasion, and we must learn from that and take decisive action.”

The chef published his first children’s book, Billy And The Giant Adventure, last year and said in a social media post that he had “carefully chosen the font to make sure the text is as clear as possible” as people with dyslexia, which Oliver has, can find it hard to read.

He is also well-known for fronting several TV series including Jamie’s Easy Christmas (2022), Jamie Cooks The Mediterranean (2023) and Jamie: Fast And Simple, which began airing on Channel 4 last month.

At the start of his career, he was known as The Naked Chef, after his 1999 book and TV series of the same name.

Entertainment

Dua Lipa cancels tour date over ‘safety and logistical issues’ with stage

Published

2 days ago

November 9, 2024

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Dua Lipa cancels tour date over 'safety and logistical issues' with stage

Dua Lipa has been forced to cancel a tour date in Indonesia after “unforeseen safety and logistical issues” with the stage were found, organisers said.

The New Rules singer said she was “heartbroken” over not being able to perform at the Indonesia Arena in Jakarta on Saturday evening.

“I am here in your amazing country and ready to perform, but I am gutted to share that it has been determined that it is not safe for the performance to carry on due to safety issues with the staging,” she wrote on X.

“I was so looking forward to this night, and it truly pains me that we cannot perform for you all, especially after such a long time since my last performance in Jakarta.

“I love you all and truly can’t wait to be back together in the same room with you singing and dancing our hearts out as soon as possible.”

In a joint statement on Lipa’s website, organisers TEM Presents and PK Entertainment said the cancellation was “due to unforeseen safety and logistical issues”.

They said the team had made “diligent efforts to resolve critical production issues related to the stage structure provided by Mata Elang Productions” but it was “not safe for the performance to carry on”.

“This very difficult decision to cancel was made with the utmost care and consideration for the safety of both the audiences and artist,” it said, apologising to the fans affected.

Lipa, 29, won a Brit Award for best pop act earlier this year and has achieved two number one albums with her two latest records Future Nostalgia and Radical Optimism.

There have been two notable incidents recently of artists falling through stages.

Last week, Coldplay lead singer Chris Martin fell into a hole in the stage while performing in Sydney, Australia.

Olivia Rodrigo also fell last month during a gig in Melbourne, but told fans at the time: “Oh my God, that was fun. I’m OK.”

Entertainment

British supermodel Georgina Cooper dies aged 46

Published

2 days ago

November 9, 2024

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British supermodel Georgina Cooper dies aged 46

British supermodel Georgina Cooper has died at the age of 46.

Fellow British model and presenter Jade Parfitt said: “Devastated to share the news of George’s passing.

“One of the funniest and naughtiest, never mind most beautiful friends, we all wanted to hang out with George backstage.

“Sending so much love to her son, family. And friends.

“Gone too soon.”

Cooper rose to fame in the 1990s – during the days of Cool Britannia – and had only recently married, according to her former agent.

Tributes came in from across her industry.

Her former agent Dean Goodman said: “I’m in total shock, and talked to her not long ago to meet up after she just got married.

“She was the original gap-toothed girl! I will miss her immensely, rip in peace, Georgie girl, I will never forget you and always love you, see you on the other side.”