New technologies get a lot of attention. Not all of it is good. That is where Tesla has found itself recently as it defends the safety of its electric vehicles despite an ongoing Federal Safety investigation into the manufacturer’s Model S sedan.
As reported by the San Jose Mercury News, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's Office of Defects Investigation is examining the “potential risks of under carriage strikes.” In two separate incidents, the Tesla vehicles suffered battery fires as a result of hitting road debris. Another vehicle caught fire after an accident in Mexico. No one was hurt in the fires.
The company’s CEO, Elon Musk, was not ready to “sensationalize” the occurrences as the media had. He cited the frequency of fires in gasoline-powered vehicles as being nearly 5 times higher.
One incident is described by Musk on Tesla’s blog, “The geometry of the object caused a powerful lever action as it went under the car, punching upward and impaling the Model S with a peak force on the order of 25 tons. Only a force of this magnitude would be strong enough to punch a 3 inch diameter hole through the quarter inch armor plate protecting the base of the vehicle.”
While it appears the fires are a string of bad luck, the company is addressing it head-on. They have issued electronic updates for the air suspension to increase ride height at highway speed, they have indicated they will immediately implement the Safety Administration’s suggestions and they are updating warranty stipulations as well.
Paul Mutolo, of the Energy Materials Center at Cornell University believes the coverage reveals an "irrational fears to a new technology, when our gasoline technology is by the numbers more dangerous, and yet is a very acceptable form of transportation.”
There have been a number of concerns over lithium and lithium-ion batteries over the years. These range from laptop battery recalls to the grounding of Boeing’s 787 fleet. The major concern is that the large power output of these batteries can lead to overheating. If one of the many cells overheats, there can be a cascading effect.
Does this indicate a fundamental flaw in what Consumer Reports called the “best car ever tested?” That’s doubtful. It is much more likely a matter of luck, or rather the lack of, that has brought the sudden and disproportionate negative attention toward Tesla.