Recently, Tesla Motors [NSDQ:TSLA] has had to deal with the latest in a line of high-profile fire events involving one of its cars.
While the original events were triggered as the result of accidents though, the latest was a garage fire, the cause of which is still unconfirmed.
Tesla, quick to dismiss any probability the car itself caused the fire, has already released a software update for the car to deal with its suspected cause for the fire–faulty wiring in the garage’s electrical supply.
Revealed by Apple employee and Model S owner @ddenboer on Twitter, the update is an “automatic charge current reduction” function able to cope with fluctuations in the input power to the vehicle.
The update notice states that in the event of unexpected fluctuations, the car will automatically reduce the charging current by 25 percent–for example, taking a 40 amp charge rate down to 30 amps.
Tesla says this will “help protect you even when a problem exists that is outside of the car or charging electronics”. The notice adds that it should “significantly increase robustness and safety” even if a home wiring system is unable to meet its rated capacity–a definite nod to the most recent fire event.
Just as with Tesla’s recent fix to raise the ride height of vehicles on the freeway and avoid more debris-related incidents, the latest software update is a sign of how quickly Tesla can move when reacting to potentially unfavorable stories.
For owners, the latest update will no doubt be reassuring–reducing the potential for damage to their cars wherever they choose to charge.
[Hat tip: Brian Henderson]
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