EV Woes: Porsche Recalls the Taycan & Tesla Model S Plaid Spontaneously Combusts!!
Here’s what you need to know about the recent Taycan recall and an incident involving a Tesla Model S Plaid catching fire.
The EV industry seems to be in crisis management mode as chaos ensues around every corner. Porsche has announced a recall for its Taycan EV, and recently one of the first 25 examples of Tesla Model S Plaid caught fire near Philadelphia only a few weeks after the first batch was delivered. Here’s what you need to know.
Porsche Taycan Recall
Since it was introduced back in 2019, Porsche used a 12-volt lithium-ion accessory battery in the Taycan, unlike Tesla, which only made the switch from lead-acid earlier in February 2021. There have been multiple reports of Porsche Taycan and Taycan Cross Turismo models losing power and going into emergency mode. According to industry speculations, these issues are being caused by faulty 12-volt batteries.
In some instances, there have been reports of vehicles losing complete power and failing to restart. Coincidently, the company issued a recall earlier today for all 2020 and 2021 Taycan and Taycan Cross Turismo models. Porsche is citing a software update as the reason for the recall, and revealed that the company is “is reviewing and updating the software for the power electronics and the engine control unit on approximately 43,000 units.”
The company has also revealed that 3,400 affected vehicles are from Germany. “In case of the affected vehicles, there is the possibility that in certain instances a shutdown of the power train, resulting in loss of motive power may be triggered incorrectly and sporadically. A software update will be installed in the workshop,” Porsche said.
Tesla Model S Plaid “Spontanesouly Combusted”
Recently a newly launched Tesla Model S Plaid was destroyed in a fire, and its owner is claiming that his car spontaneously combusted while he was behind the wheel. The incident is currently under investigation, and so far, we do know what caused the fire.
Fortunately, the car’s owner was able to escape the vehicle, and there have been no reports of any injuries. Luckily, the firefighters of Gladwyne Volunteer Fire Department were well-trained to combat electric fires. They managed to extinguish the flames by continuously hosing down the car batteries.
It’s worth bearing in mind that every new model (EV or not) has its fair share of glitches that automakers iron out over time, and such incidents should not deter us from supporting the zero-emissions revolution. It’s not like we thought range anxiety was going to be the only hurdle preventing mass-volume EV adoption.
Image Source: Porsche, Geragos & Geragos