Tesla gives battery software update after Model S fire

Tesla has started an over-the-air update for the battery software of the Model S and Model X. The update is intended to provide more safety and better battery life. The update comes after burning Model S models.

According to a statement from Tesla, the update causes “changed charging and thermal management settings” on the Model S and Model X. The Model 3 will not get the update. The changes should ‘better protect’ the battery and extend the battery’s life.

The notification, reported by Electrek among others, comes after Model S cars in Pittsburgh, Hong Kong and Shanghai to catch fire. Tesla is investigating the incident in Hong Kong and reports that some battery modules were involved and that “the majority of the battery pack is undamaged.” According to the company, fires in Tesla vehicles are extremely rare and the risk of fire is ten times less than with petrol cars.

In another fatal incident involving a Tesla, the US National Transportation Safety Board concludes that Autopilot was activated in an accident that killed a 50-year-old Florida man. It is certainly the fourth fatal accident involving Autopilot, according to The Verge. Ten seconds before the vehicle collided with a trailer, the driver engaged Autopilot. It can be concluded from data from the system and from the video that neither the driver nor Autopilot made any attempt to avoid the trailer and the driver also had his hands not on the wheel just before the crash.

As more Tesla cars are on the road, the company can obtain more data about incidents to improve relatively new techniques such as the battery packs used and Autopilot, according to Tesla’s statements.