Under the Chassis: A Look At Tesla's Battery Shield

cartechboy (2660665) writes "Tesla said a few weeks ago it would add additional safety shielding to protect the battery of every Model S car on the road against damage from road debris. But it offered no photos of its update as it would look when installed--so one owner took his own. These may be the first detail shots of what the three different pieces look like. There's a half-round aluminum tube, a titanium plate, and a T-shaped section--and you can see how they combine to deflect and direct impacts to minimize damage to the battery. Do these updates look like they'll solve Tesla's problems?"

Comments

Problems?

[Anonymous Coward]

" Do these updates look like they'll solve Tesla's problems?"

You mean Tesla's problem of already being the safest car money can buy?

Or do you mean Tesla's problem of having every minor pecadillo be over-hyped by the media, especially right wing news outlets that want to downplay Tesla's success because admitting Tesla is successful is tantamount to admitting a policy of the Obama administration that the right wing fought against actually turned out to be a good policy. It might fix that.

Re:Problems?

[ShanghaiBill]

The sample size of total number of Tesla's is still considerably smaller then ICE vehicles.

The relative sizes of the two samples is irrelevant. Statistically illiterate people almost always vastly overestimate the sample size required to draw useful conclusions. Inaccuracy is usually not caused by the "sample size", but the sample bias, for instance, if there was some reason that Tesla fires would be under or over reported.

Was it really Tesla's problem?

[dclozier]

These accidents all seem to stem from the drivers and their carelessness. From crashing through brick walls to hitting large chunks of debri in the road rather than going around it. All Tesla has done is made their vehicles less prone to the driver being careless. (good move none the less)

Next up - Tesla cars catch fire after drivers park them in the ocean.

Re:Was it really Tesla's problem?

[Baloroth]

Sure, except that in every reported case of battery fires in a Tesla, the user has walked away from the crash (even when the crash took place at 100 mph or so). The cars already have the highest safety rating possible in tests. Expecting a safety margin is one thing, and Tesla has shown they more than fulfill that. Expecting to be invincible is quite another, and that's what a lot of people (or, at least the media) seem to be expecting, and that's incredibly stupid.

This battery shield is a PR move, quite simply. Not a bad one, and it might marginally improve safety, but I suspect only extremely marginally so, and it's certainly not worth it as a safety measure alone.

Gonna go with "no" on this one.

[pla]

Do these updates look like they'll solve Tesla's problems?

Since Tesla's biggest problems come from buggy whip... I mean, car dealership... protectionism, combined with a dislike bordering on zealotry from a media that still considers the Chevy L88 as the engine to beat for every compact sedan they review?

No. No, these updates will not solve Tesla's problems.

I doubt it.

[Rollgunner]

I don't think any number of technical improvements can fix a problem that only exists in people's heads.

Hysteria, superstition, preconception and failure to understand statistics are the *real* problems that Tesla faces in marketing their product.

Re:Stop the Tesla Love

[mmell]

Who cares if it'll solve Tesla's problem...?

Employees of Tesla. Owners of Tesla vehicles. Geeks (well, nerds actually) who want to own a Tesla. Proponents of zero emission vehicles. People who are interested in new or inventive technologies...

I don't come to /. for automotive news.

There's the trap - come to be a troll, but look out - you may learn something here if you're not careful!