Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) has become well-known now for several things. Of course there’s the excellent car, but also the company seems to pride itself on being proactive when it comes to problems. Yet again, the automaker is upgrading its equipment to protect against problems which may occur outside of the Model S.
Tesla deals with garage fire
In November, a Model S caught fire inside a garage. At the time, there was a debate about whether the charging adapter for the Model S could have caused the fire or whether it was faulty wiring. An automotive technician who specializes in green cars gave ValueWalk an extensive list of all the things which can go wrong in terms of outside wiring, resulting in overheating or a fire.
But while some automakers might wash their hands of the issue here since most of the time it isn’t the fault of their vehicle, Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) has again gone the extra mile and provided better equipment to protect Model S owners.
Verifying that the OTA update was received
On Friday after closing bell, Tesla sent out a press release reminding investors and Model S owners that it sent out an over the air software update for the Model S last month. The software is designed to automatically cut the charging current by 25% if unexpected fluctuations in the input power running to the vehicle are detected. According to Tesla, this will substantially cut the amount of heat generated due to outside factors like bad wiring, corrosion, physical damage to wall plugs, etc.
Model S owners who want to verify that their car received the over the air software update can tap the touch screen in their vehicles and just check to see that they are running software version 5.8.4 or later. The automaker said vehicles which aren’t in range of the wireless network or are otherwise not accessible remotely by Tesla can visit a Tesla authorized service center or Tesla Rangers to have the update installed.
Tesla mails out upgraded adapters
Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) believes that the software update was enough to fully handle the risk of a fire from bad wiring or other exterior issues which could result in overheating or a fire. However, the company decided to also send Model S owners an improved wall adapter. It’s designed for those using the 14-50 socket, and it has a thermal fuse. This means that even if the home’s circuit breakers don’t trip for some reason (again, another outside problem which could cause a fire or overheating), the thermal fuse will keep the current from flowing if the wall plug heats up too much for any reason.
The new adapters will be sent out to new and existing customers within a few weeks.
