CNBC reports that the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is considering a former Tesla employee’s complaint about the company’s management and communication surrounding the company’s solar panels and their risk of fire as evidence in a federal safety investigation.
CNBC reports that the CPSC is proceeding with an investigation into Elon Musk’s Tesla and is considering as evidence a former Tesla employee’s complaint about how the company managed and communicated fire risks and defects in its solar installations.
The Commission has reportedly interviewed the former Tesla employee, Steven Henkes, who worked as a Tesla solar field quality manager and filed his complaint in spring 2019. CNBC claims that it gained knowledge of the investigation by asking the CPSC for a full copy of the whistleblower complaint.
The CPSC declined to provide the full complaint and stated: “The records that we are withholding are related to an open investigation, and consist of internal and external reports.” The full scope and focus of the investigation is currently unknown. Henkes is also suing Tesla, alleging retaliation from the company over his complaint.
Henkes filed a lawsuit in Alameda County in November 2020 in which he claimed that he was fired from his job at Tesla on August 3rd, 2020, after he raised safety concerns internally and then filed formal complaints with government offices. Henkes claims he only filed formal complaints after Tels failed to act to fix and accurately communicate with customers over what he believes were unacceptable fire risks in the company’s solar installations.
Breitbart News reported in September of 2019 that a woman named Briana Greer was out of town in August 2019 when a fire began on her solar panels, luckily a neighbor was nearby to help Greer put the fire out but not before causing extensive damage to three of the solar panels and the roof.
The panels were leased by Greer from SolarCity, Tesla’s solar panel division which is being sued by Walmart over claims that the company’s solar panels caused fires at multiple stores across the United States. Breitbart News reported in August 2019 that the retail giant Walmart was suing Elon Musk’s company over a number of roof fires at multiple Walmart stores which the firm alleges were caused by Elon Musk’s solar panels.
Walmart sued for breach of contract and alleged “gross negligence” on Tesla’s part. Walmart is alleging that fires on the rooftops of stores in California, Maryland, and Ohio were the result of Tesla solar panels. Amazon is claiming that in June 2018, one of the firms warehouses in Redland, California, was set ablaze following a malfunction by a solar panel system installed by Tesla’s SolarCity division.
In November, Walmart dropped the lawsuit against Tesla. In a joint statement, the companies said: “Walmart and Tesla are pleased to have resolved the issues raised by Walmart concerning the Tesla solar installations at Walmart stores. Safety is a top priority for each company and with the concerns being addressed, we both look forward to a safe re-energization of our sustainable energy systems.” Further details of the agreement were not revealed.
Read more about the CPSC’s investigation into Tesla at CNBC here.
Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship. Follow him on Twitter @LucasNolan or contact via secure email at the address lucasnolan@protonmail.com
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