dnmun
1 PW
maybe they need a computer to drive the car if people don't see the need to avoid running over large objects in the roadway. like they would need to use their fingers for driving instead of texting.
pesky bicyclists, get outa the way, oops, now look what you did!! went and got blood all over my new car!!
March 28, 2014, 8:44 a.m. EDT
Tesla to install new battery shields on Model S
Musk: Shields will address public misperception about electric-vehicle safety
By Mike Ramsey
Tesla Motors Inc. said it would add titanium shielding and an aluminum deflector plate to the underbody of its Model S luxury electric car to prevent possible fires that could be caused by running over objects.
The Palo Alto, Calif.-based company has already begun installing the shielding on new vehicles and will retroactively install the shielding on existing cars when customers bring them in. The move comes as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has been investigating whether Tesla’s vehicles have a safety defect after two cars caught fire in the span of five weeks late last year. The agency hasn’t disclosed the results of its investigation.
“Underbody shields are not needed for a high level of safety,” Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk said in a statement. “However, there is significant value to minimizing owner inconvenience in the event of an impact and addressing any lingering public misperception about electric vehicle safety.”
Musk had previously said the company didn’t need to add shielding or recall the vehicle. Tesla already created a software change that raised the vehicle clearance at high speeds and put a fire warranty on all vehicles to address concerns.
In the two U.S. cases last year, both drivers ran over a hard object that pierced the aluminum plate that protects the large battery underneath the car, causing it to catch fire. Neither occupant was injured, but the cars were destroyed by the flames.
pesky bicyclists, get outa the way, oops, now look what you did!! went and got blood all over my new car!!
March 28, 2014, 8:44 a.m. EDT
Tesla to install new battery shields on Model S
Musk: Shields will address public misperception about electric-vehicle safety
By Mike Ramsey
Tesla Motors Inc. said it would add titanium shielding and an aluminum deflector plate to the underbody of its Model S luxury electric car to prevent possible fires that could be caused by running over objects.
The Palo Alto, Calif.-based company has already begun installing the shielding on new vehicles and will retroactively install the shielding on existing cars when customers bring them in. The move comes as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has been investigating whether Tesla’s vehicles have a safety defect after two cars caught fire in the span of five weeks late last year. The agency hasn’t disclosed the results of its investigation.
“Underbody shields are not needed for a high level of safety,” Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk said in a statement. “However, there is significant value to minimizing owner inconvenience in the event of an impact and addressing any lingering public misperception about electric vehicle safety.”
Musk had previously said the company didn’t need to add shielding or recall the vehicle. Tesla already created a software change that raised the vehicle clearance at high speeds and put a fire warranty on all vehicles to address concerns.
In the two U.S. cases last year, both drivers ran over a hard object that pierced the aluminum plate that protects the large battery underneath the car, causing it to catch fire. Neither occupant was injured, but the cars were destroyed by the flames.