Tesla Proves Your Model S Won't Catch Fire Anymore, Using The Medium Of GIFs

Last year, a couple of Tesla Model S electric vehicles caught fire after accidents, prompting much media coverage about the safety of the cars. This made Tesla boss Elon Musk very unhappy, as he thinks it's unfair coverage when compared to the number of petrol-powered cars that catch fire.

But, continuing his quest to usher in a new age of transparency in the automotive industry, he set about removing all possibility of a fire taking place. The problem was coming from impacts beneath the car piercing the safety structure and causing a fire.

Tesla Model S vs. tow hitch

At the end of last year, Tesla provided an over-the-air software upgrade that raised the ride height at highway speeds to reduce the likelihood of impacting something on the road. At that time, engineers began working on reinforcing the undercarriage to provide even better impact protection.

Tesla now fits a 'triple underbody shield' to all new cars, and will retrofit them to old cars free of charge. The GIFs you see here are demonstrations of how effectively it protects the car's internals from piercing objects, but how does it work?

Tesla Model S vs. paving stone

The first shield is a rounded, hollow aluminium bar that is designed to deflect objects away from the battery pack. Next up is a titanium plate more commonly used in aerospace and military applications, which is designed to protect sensitive underbody components. Finally there's a solid aluminium plate, which is designed to cause the Model S to "ramp up and over the object if it is essentially incompressible and immovable."

Tesla Model S vs. alternator

The team undertook 152 tests, placing objects in prime positions for piercing, and found that the new system protected the battery every time.