Tesla adds titanium plate to protect against battery fires | Consumer Reports

[Calvin.K]

 

[dsm363]

So three fires is several? (Only two were road debris relates anyway so 'a pair')

 

[Trnsl8r]

Plus he is walking underneath the battery pack making it sound like the titanium plate will cover the entire battery pack (whereas this forum has found it's only in the front). Possible that's what he thinks, but he should do better research first.

 

[markb1]

Didn't we establish that the titanium is only forward of the battery pack?

 

[dsm363]

I really wish auto journalists would at least do minimal research before reporting.

 

[ecarfan]

Didn't we establish that the titanium is only forward of the battery pack?

Yes, that seems certain. All the new "shield" pieces are forward of the pack with one piece at the leading edge of the pack.

 

[Gizmotoy]

So three fires is several? (Only two were road debris relates anyway so 'a pair')

Not to be a smart-ass, but yes, 3 is by definition "several" (More than two, but not many).

Either way, not a very well-put-together video.

 

[lolachampcar]

There is one roughly 3" diameter by 14" extrusion which is attached to the aluminum cross member which acts to chew up or otherwise excite debris for exit from under the car. This extrusion is Ti. There is also a thin flat aluminum plate which fills the gap between the rear cross member and the leading edge of the battery.

It is an incredibly elegant solution.

 

[dsm363]

Not to be a smart-ass, but yes, 3 is by definition "several" (More than two, but not many).

Either way, not a very well-put-together video.

Only two were road debris though. The other was ramming through a concrete wall at 100 mph which this fix doesn't address. I realize several can technically cover it but If it is only two or three he should say that.

 

[markb1]

There is one roughly 3" diameter by 14" extrusion which is attached to the aluminum cross member which acts to chew up or otherwise excite debris for exit from under the car. This extrusion is Ti. There is also a thin flat aluminum plate which fills the gap between the rear cross member and the leading edge of the battery.

It is an incredibly elegant solution.

I think it's actually an aluminum extrusion and a titanium plate. At least, that's what Elon says: Tesla Adds Titanium Underbody Shield and Aluminum Deflector Plates to Model S | Blog | Tesla Motors

 

[scaesare]

I think it's actually an aluminum extrusion and a titanium plate. At least, that's what Elon says: Tesla Adds Titanium Underbody Shield and Aluminum Deflector Plates to Model S | Blog | Tesla Motors

This.

Three pieces are described: a leading round hollow aluminum crossmember, a subsequent flat Ti plate, and then a shallow-angle aluminum extrusion. In the "main" thread on this subject (which I expect this will eventually get merged in to), we have pictures where the last 2 items are visible.

 

[lolachampcar]

That makes more sense. Thank you for the correction.

 

[ecarfan]

That Consumer Reports video was shockingly inaccurate. The description of the titanium plate was wrong, there was no mention of the two aluminum pieces, and calling TWO road debris accidents "several" is simply wrong.

It would have been so easy to get the facts right

 

[zdre]

Here is what the aluminum extrusions and the titanium plate look like. They are installed in the front of the battery to protect the 90° angle in front of the battery and deflect or crush anything that impacts it.

 

[markb1]

Wow, that plate is much smaller than I imagined. Thanks for the pics!

 

[EarlyAdopter]

That can't be more than $50 in parts. Add in $125 for an hour of labor and we're looking at most $5M to retrofit the entire existing fleet of 30k cars.

Going forward there's no way that's going to affect margins in any measurable way on new cars. Smart business and good engineering here.

 

[JPP]

CR needs to go get the update/upgrade, then put their S back up on the lift and have a look-see. Then maybe they could get their report correct. zdre has the photos above, I've had it installed. See many other cross posts on the subject.

 

[Splunge]

I had mine installed today.

 

[DaveT]

I had mine installed today.

Did you get all three pieces installed? Could you post photos of those as well?

 

[clintons]

Happy get a good visual of the completed installation. It's hard to imagine any aerodynamic penalty as the modification appears to fit flush with the battery. I assume that the plastic shield must be trimmed back to accommodate the visible aluminium piece? Maybe some Speed Tape would close that gap.