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Tesla Model S Gets Titanium Underbody Battery Shield
The three post accident battery fires in Tesla Model S that made a lot of headlines late last year did not dent the American electric car maker's image too much. While the press had a gala day with each fire, the Model S owners themselves who were involved in the accidents only had praises for the car which had saved their lives.
Nevertheless, to bring down fire risk to "virtually zero", Tesla has announced it will add extra underbody battery shields to all Model S cars manufactured post March 6th. The extra shields will be added free of cost for those who already own a Model S.
Related: Tesla Model S Fires - Who's At Fault?
The extra protection consists of three layers of shields: A hollow aluminium bar that deflects projectiles and absorbs impact; a military grade titanium plate, which does what any titanium plate would do; and another shallow angle, solid aluminium extrusion for additional impact absorption.
Tesla CEO, Elon Musk says, the "protective qualities of the underbody shields are substantial", without compromising on the vehicle's range and handling. "In total, the shields only have a 0.1 percent impact on range and don't affect ride or handling. Wind tunnel testing shows no discernible change in drag or lift on the car," Musk says.
"We have tried every worst case debris impact we can think of, including hardened steel structures set in the ideal position for a piking event, essentially equivalent to driving a car at highway speed into a steel spear braced on the tarmac," Musk explains.
In 152 vehicle tests they conducted the underbody armour protected the batteries as intended, preventing any fires from igniting, according to Musk. In fact, the original ballistic grade aluminum armor plate that protects the batteries was up to the job, he claims.
Tesla has continued to believe that the fires caused were not due to the vehicle's shortcomings. "Nonetheless, we felt it was important to bring this risk down to virtually zero to give Model S owners complete peace of mind," Musk comments.
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