Tesla was wrong in reducing Model S' voltage, admits Elon Musk
Tesla released an Over-the-Air (OTA) software update in May 2019 that affected 1,743 Model S sedans by reducing their maximum battery voltage. The US electric vehicle manufacturer claimed that the update was aimed at improving the longevity of the Model S and Model X batteries. It was a wrong decision to do so, admitted Elon Musk.
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"If we are wrong, we are wrong. In this case, we were," Musk tweeted. He also said that the EV manufacturer's policy is to never give in to false claims, even if it would lose and never to fight true claims, even if it would win.
The software update was released after a Tesla Model S caught fire in Hong Kong. It made a minor revision of the electric car's thermal management system. This update also reduced the charging speed of the affected Tesla cars. In order to revert the changes, Tesla issued another update in March 2020. This restored the voltage on the affected electric cars to its original levels.
A total of 1,552 affected Model S' battery packs have been restored to their original levels, while 57 other EVs receiving a full replacement of the battery pack, CNBC reported recently. The remaining Model S sedans too would get their batteries restored to original voltage in a short time.
The report also claims that this affair caused Tesla a $1.5 million settlement paid to the affected owners. This means the EV company had to pay $625 to each affected Tesla Model S owner.
As part of the settlement with affected owners of affected Model S sedans, the automaker was required to maintain diagnostic software for in-warranty vehicles to notify owners and lessees of vehicles that the company thinks may need battery service or repair for certain issues.
