Tesla is pushing out a software upgrade to all Model S and X cars after two recent battery fires. The automaker said it’s issuing the upgrade “out of an abundance of caution. ”
The over-the-air upgrade will change some of the settings in the automobiles ’ battery control applications related to charging and thermal controls, although the company didn’t go into detail. (The software of Tesla’s battery management system is one of the company’s most closely guarded trade secrets.)
The software upgrade comes after some highly publicized fires in Asia. In April, an older Model S apparently spontaneously combusted whilst sitting unused in a parking structure in Shanghai. The fire was captured by security cameras, and the footage quickly went viral. Tesla sent a team to investigate the fire, but hasn’t released any findings. Just this week, another Model S caught fire in a parking lot in Hong Kong, soon after the owner had charged the vehicle.
Musk has claimed Tesla&rsquocars are “more than 500 percent” less likely to catch fire
Fires involving Tesla’s batteries have gotten a lot of attention during the last few decades, much to the dismay of CEO Elon Musk. He’s often pointed to the frequency of fires in internal combustion engine cars, and has claimed Tesla’s automobiles are “over 500 percent *less* likely to catch fire. ”
But what stands out about the two most recent fires is that, unlike most of the approximately 20 incidents Business Insider recently catalogued back to 2013, these cars were parked when they caught fire. Vehicle fires are a somewhat common occurrence following a crash, and most fires involving Teslas have occurred after violent wrecks (or in a few cases, some of the cars have reignited following an initial fire). But these new episodes involving its cars’ spontaneous combustion & rsquo; batteries appear to have sparked Tesla into action.
“As we continue our investigation of the root cause, out of an abundance of caution, we’re revising control and thermal control settings on Model S and Model X vehicles via an over-the-air software upgrade that will start rolling out now, to help further protect the battery and improve battery longevity,” the company said in a statement.
Fires in electric cars have to be handled as they can’t be put out with foam or other substances. Instead, they frequently require thousands of gallons of water to be extinguished. Tesla has worked with first responders to be certain that they ’re equipped with the particular knowledge necessary to put out battery fires.
The business has pushed on software updates to help curb fires at least twice before. In 2016, Tesla introduced an over-the-air upgrade to “provide extra security during charging” following a Model S caught fire in Norway. In 2013, Tesla pushed an upgrade that raised the Model S’s ride height when traveling at highway speeds to decrease the risk of debris puncturing the battery pack. That upgrade came by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration into multiple Tesla fires. The agency closed that investigation in 2014 later Tesla decided to add more physical security to its battery packs.
Buy Tickets for every event – Sports, Concerts, Festivals and more buy tickets
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.