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| © CNET It's unclear if Tesla's OTA update following the investigation was pushed to global Model S and Model X vehicles, or if it was limited to Chinese cars alone. |
By Andrew Krok, Roadshow
In April, video surfaced of a Tesla Model S catching fire while parked in Shanghai, China. At the time, Tesla
told Reuters it sent a team to investigate the conflagration and
determine a cause. Now, a couple months later, Tesla put out a statement
-- and an update -- to close the case of the mysterious blaze.
Tesla on Friday posted a statement to its Chinese-language Weibo social media page.
According to a translation, Tesla sent an investigative team comprising
both Chinese and American technical experts to determine a cause and
work with local government departments. The investigation determined
that the fire was caused by a single battery module failure at the front
of the vehicle.
The statement points out that the battery system
worked as intended, attempting to contain the fire to its initial
location while expelling heat to protect the remainder of the battery
pack. Tesla said anyone who had been in the vehicle when the fire
started would have had time to leave the vehicle.
Tesla said that it also pushed an over-the-air update to Model S and Model X
vehicles in order to "protect the vehicle battery and improve battery
life," through updates to the charging and thermal management systems.
It's unclear exactly what has changed, and if this OTA update is limited
to Chinese-market vehicles. Tesla did not immediately return a request
for clarification on these fronts.
All vehicles, electric or otherwise, are more than capable of catching fire. Tesla CEO Elon Musk has, in no veiled terms, been quite adamant that his vehicles are significantly safer from fire
than your average gas-powered vehicle. It's important to note, though,
that there are major chemical differences between the two, which is why
it wasn't necessarily the scariest thing when the NTSB reported a Tesla battery catching fire twice
after it was involved in a crash. Tesla explicitly recommends
monitoring a post-crash battery with a thermal imaging camera to ensure
that untouched stocks of lithium aren't at risk of reigniting a subdued
battery fire.
