Tesla adds Titanium Underbody Shield to Model S

[Eggplant]

I was looking over the parts at the SC this morning. (I didn't get it installed yet, was in for something else). 12-16 lbs seems about right. That leading edge aluminum bar is no joke. It's heavy. The titanium plate is pretty small and seems to just cover the front cell) and the T shaped bar is a lot smaller than the leading edge bar.

 

[slipdrive]

You actually weighed it? If so, did you just weigh the parts, or the car with and without parts...

The SC told me 16 pounds, when I asked about considerations like clearance and appearance.... It's backordered, but due in next week.

 

[JRP3]

Be ready for the next round of FUD: http://news.uci.edu/press-releases/titanium-clubs-can-cause-golf-course-fires-uci-study-finds/

 

[Mayhemm]

Be ready for the next round of FUD: http://news.uci.edu/press-releases/titanium-clubs-can-cause-golf-course-fires-uci-study-finds/

Fascinating. I can see this being a problem in California. The whole state is a tinderbox these days.

 

[rsquared99]

Be ready for the next round of FUD: http://news.uci.edu/press-releases/titanium-clubs-can-cause-golf-course-fires-uci-study-finds/

This is going to cause a lot of problems on all those grass highways we drive on.

 

[wycolo]

Someone photo these 3 pieces, please, laid out on the Service Center floor to indicate their approximate working positions. Thanx!
--

 

[stevezzzz]

You gotta love it: an elegant solution to a rare vulnerability, with minimal added weight, little cost to TM and at no cost to owners.

Of course, I'm still waiting to find out if my particular early Sig is eligible. I'm with Brianman: I want to know what changed in production that makes only some Founders and early Sig vehicles ineligible? It implies that a few Sigs were built (or at least started) before all Founders were completed.

 

[darthvdr]

You gotta love it: an elegant solution to a rare vulnerability, with minimal added weight, little cost to TM and at no cost to owners.

Of course, I'm still waiting to find out if my particular early Sig is eligible. I'm with Brianman: I want to know what changed in production that makes only some Founders and early Sig vehicles ineligible? It implies that a few Sigs were built (or at least started) before all Founders were completed.

It would be quite unfair for any Tesla owner to not be eligible especially if you guys are the true early adopters and supporters.

 

[Cottonwood]

It would be quite unfair for any Tesla owner to not be eligible especially if you guys are the true early adopters and supporters.

Being even earlier in the sequence, #37, I am waiting to see what's up. Who knows; maybe the upgrade to get the shield will require an upgrade to a "B" battery? :wink:

 

[AudubonB]

I finally jacked up one front tire so I could better see just where the shield goes. It is, for me, incredibly inconspicuous. Of the three parts, the only one noticeable is the I-beam-like aluminum portion; that is the rear-most member and it is its back that is attached to the very front of the battery pack. The hefty aluminum "tube" is, of course, in the very front of the set-up and the titanium plate marries the other two. Both the latter two are concealed above the plastic shield that always has been there. The placement is such that the entire shield may be 1mm or so lower than the battery pack - whatever elevation difference there is is hardly discernible to the eye - and that stands to reason given the shield's function. In that all but a negligible amount of the shield is itself concealed above that plastic shield is why there is no difference in the aerodynamics of the underbody. Hurrah for the engineering on this one!

 

[scaesare]

I finally jacked up one front tire so I could better see just where the shield goes. It is, for me, incredibly inconspicuous. Of the three parts, the only one noticeable is the I-beam-like aluminum portion; that is the rear-most member and it is its back that is attached to the very front of the battery pack. The hefty aluminum "tube" is, of course, in the very front of the set-up and the titanium plate marries the other two. Both the latter two are concealed above the plastic shield that always has been there. The placement is such that the entire shield may be 1mm or so lower than the battery pack - whatever elevation difference there is is hardly discernible to the eye - and that stands to reason given the shield's function. In that all but a negligible amount of the shield is itself concealed above that plastic shield is why there is no difference in the aerodynamics of the underbody. Hurrah for the engineering on this one!

Indeed. When I picked up my car from the Service Center last Friday, there was a car up on the lift, and they let me in to the shop to check it out. You can't tell it's there, or that it wasn't done at the factory. I was told the front bar adds less than 1/2" drop... but I believe that means at that location at the front of the car... is supect that the the total overall clearance change is much less as you suggested... just enough so that the front bar is only slightly lower than the pack... thus being the first thing to encounter any debris.

I expect any slight change to the "low" position in the air suspension accounts for this small offset...

 

[FlasherZ]

Mine was installed today. I had the subframe, lower control arms, and upper links replaced to bring the suspension up to current production specs (to remove a bit of the squishiness) and they asked if I wanted to have it installed right away while it was on the lift.

 

[Raffy.Roma]

Mine was installed today. I had the subframe, lower control arms, and upper links replaced to bring the suspension up to current production specs (to remove a bit of the squishiness) and they asked if I wanted to have it installed right away while it was on the lift.

Can you feel like the car has changed a little bit or do feel like the car is always the same?

 

[FlasherZ]

Can you feel like the car has changed a little bit or do feel like the car is always the same?

I'm on a business trip, so I won't know until I get home on Friday, when I plan to give it a try. I should probably note that I'm paying for this parts upgrade. The car was ok, it was just a bit squishy in the rear on hard acceleration and I wanted to try to work that out.

 

[Jeddi]

Got mine installed today as well. Couldn't tell a difference on the way home but it was bumper to bumper traffic.

 

[TexasEV]

From David Noland's Green Car Reports, more breathless reporting on another non-issue:
"When I first heard last week that Tesla was offering Model S owners a free retrofit that would install its new underbody shield and deflector plates, I called my local Tesla Motors service center almost immediately...
I figured there would be a mad scramble among Model S owners to get the retrofit, and I wanted to get in line as soon as I could. As it turned out, my haste was entirely unnecessary. "How about tomorrow?" said Carlos at Tesla's service center White Plains, New York."
Life With Tesla Model S: Battery Safety Shield In Detail (Photos)

I haven't heard of any mad scrambles, just about everyone I know will have it done the next time the car needs service for something else but aren't scheduling specifically for that.

 

[ItsNotAboutTheMoney]

From David Noland's Green Car Reports, more breathless reporting on another non-issue:
"When I first heard last week that Tesla was offering Model S owners a free retrofit that would install its new underbody shield and deflector plates, I called my local Tesla Motors service center almost immediately...
I figured there would be a mad scramble among Model S owners to get the retrofit, and I wanted to get in line as soon as I could. As it turned out, my haste was entirely unnecessary. "How about tomorrow?" said Carlos at Tesla's service center White Plains, New York."

I haven't heard of any mad scrambles, just about everyone I know will have it done the next time the car needs service for something else but aren't scheduling specifically for that.

As a Tesla owner I'm sure he knew there wouldn't be a mad scramble, but as a journalist I'm sure he'd write whatever he thought would get the most readers. Or maybe he thinks other people would think like him ("If I don't get it now I'll end up having to wait aaaaages. *whine* *pout*).

 

[RiverBrick]

I haven't heard of any mad scrambles, just about everyone I know will have it done the next time the car needs service for something else but aren't scheduling specifically for that.

No mad scramble here, but my Mother thinks I need to get this work done ASAP, otherwise my Model S could become "engulfed" by flames.

 

[Chipper]

From David Noland's Green Car Reports, more breathless reporting on another non-issue:
"When I first heard last week that Tesla was offering Model S owners a free retrofit that would install its new underbody shield and deflector plates, I called my local Tesla Motors service center almost immediately...
I figured there would be a mad scramble among Model S owners to get the retrofit, and I wanted to get in line as soon as I could. As it turned out, my haste was entirely unnecessary. "How about tomorrow?" said Carlos at Tesla's service center White Plains, New York."

I haven't heard of any mad scrambles, just about everyone I know will have it done the next time the car needs service for something else but aren't scheduling specifically for that.

Exactly! If I am already driving the safest passenger vehicle ever made; if I have already driven it thousands of miles without incident; if I am totally content with the current safety features, then I am going to have it done at MY convenience if I have it done at all. Those who were worried about under-body impacts perhaps rushed, but their numbers were so minute compared to the general owner population who were unconcerned that there were very few in the initial "mad scramble".

 

[dsm363]

From David Noland's Green Car Reports, more breathless reporting on another non-issue:
"When I first heard last week that Tesla was offering Model S owners a free retrofit that would install its new underbody shield and deflector plates, I called my local Tesla Motors service center almost immediately...
I figured there would be a mad scramble among Model S owners to get the retrofit, and I wanted to get in line as soon as I could. As it turned out, my haste was entirely unnecessary. "How about tomorrow?" said Carlos at Tesla's service center White Plains, New York."

I haven't heard of any mad scrambles, just about everyone I know will have it done the next time the car needs service for something else but aren't scheduling specifically for that.

I think this guy bought a Model S just to complain about it and get media attention using his platform as a 'reporter'. He finds the littlest thing and blows it out of proportion. That's not to say he doesn't bring up valid concerns but when every single 'report' is like that is calls into question his motives.

Anyway, I was getting something else done on my car so had it installed. I didn't feel the need to rush to get it done. Car is perfectly safe without it.