Following accounts of smoke and burns, the electric car maker says it's addressed the issue with a software upgrade, but upgrading the chargers as a precaution. January 10, 2014 3:11 PM PST (Credit: Tesla) Tesla announced Friday that it's sending Model S owners upgraded wall chargers for their cars, after several drivers reported accounts of overheating. A statement from the Palo Alto, Calif. company said a variety of factors could cause chargers to overheat, including "higher than normal electrical resistance." Tesla said it's fixed this issue with an over-the-air update rolled out last month. The update lets the car keep the charging current at a level that won't overheat the adapter. Related stories Nvidia at CES 2014: Join us at 8 p.m. PT Sunday (live blog) Sekisui Chemical claims cheap, long-range lithium battery tech CNET's Tech Turkeys of 2013 "This update increases robustness and safety considerably in the unlikely event that a home wiring system, receptacle, adapter or cord is unable to meet its rated current capacity," according to the statement. But, just in case, the company is also sending out an "improved adapter with a thermal fuse," in a few weeks. To see if you received the software update, tap on the touchscreen to make sure the car is running version 5.8.4 or later. If not, head to a Tesla service center. Bloomberg reported Friday that the accounts of overheating include adapters reportedly smoking, burning drivers and potentially starting a small fire. U.S regulators are investigating the reports. The overheating adapters are just dark spot on Tesla's image in recent times. The company has also had to deal with accounts of its cars catching fire late last year.
Following accounts of smoke and burns, the electric car maker says it's addressed the issue with a software upgrade, but upgrading the chargers as a precaution.
Tesla announced Friday that it's sending Model S owners upgraded wall chargers for their cars, after several drivers reported accounts of overheating.
A statement from the Palo Alto, Calif. company said a variety of factors could cause chargers to overheat, including "higher than normal electrical resistance." Tesla said it's fixed this issue with an over-the-air update rolled out last month. The update lets the car keep the charging current at a level that won't overheat the adapter.
Related stories
- Nvidia at CES 2014: Join us at 8 p.m. PT Sunday (live blog)
- Sekisui Chemical claims cheap, long-range lithium battery tech
- CNET's Tech Turkeys of 2013
"This update increases robustness and safety considerably in the unlikely event that a home wiring system, receptacle, adapter or cord is unable to meet its rated current capacity," according to the statement. But, just in case, the company is also sending out an "improved adapter with a thermal fuse," in a few weeks.
To see if you received the software update, tap on the touchscreen to make sure the car is running version 5.8.4 or later. If not, head to a Tesla service center.
Bloomberg reported Friday that the accounts of overheating include adapters reportedly smoking, burning drivers and potentially starting a small fire. U.S regulators are investigating the reports.
The overheating adapters are just dark spot on Tesla's image in recent times. The company has also had to deal with accounts of its cars catching fire late last year.
