--- title: "Tesla Releases Software Update to Stop Cars From Catching Fire" description: "In a response to reports of its cars catching fire, Tesla has released a cautionary software update to ensure that batteries stay safe." date: "2019-05-16" modified: "2019-05-16" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/tesla-releases-software-update-stop-cars-catching-fire" categories: - "Advanced Transport" - "Tesla" tags: - "electric car" - "fire" - "tesla" - "the digest" --- # Tesla Releases Software Update to Stop Cars From Catching Fire ![In a response to reports of its cars catching fire, Tesla has released a cautionary software update to ensure that batteries stay safe.]() *\Image: Pxhere/Tesla/Victor Tangermann\* ## Fire Guy After [more reports]() of Tesla vehicles bursting into flames emerged this week, the electric automaker has released a software update to ensure that batteries stay safe, have a long shelf life — and don't erupt into fireballs. "Although fire incidents involving Tesla vehicles are already extremely rare and our cars are 10 times less likely to experience a fire than a gas car, we believe the right number of incidents to aspire to is zero," reads [a statement]() obtained by *Engadget*. "As we continue our investigation of the root cause, out of an abundance of caution, we are revising charge and thermal management settings on Model S and Model X vehicles via an over-the-air software update that will begin rolling out today, to help further protect the battery and improve battery longevity." ## Fire! Fire! Earlier this year, [Futurism reported]() of a Tesla Model S seemingly catching fire in a Shanghai parking lot. While the exact cause of the fire remains unknown, a different Model S [caught fire]() in a Hong Kong parking lot earlier this week. [*Reuters* reports]() that there have been "at least 14 instances of Tesla cars catching fire since 2013, most of them after a crash." So what about the company's newest international success, the Model 3? That model has yet to catch fire — or at least be caught on tape doing so. **READ MORE:** [Tesla rolls out Model S and X battery software update after Hong Kong fire]() \[*Engadget*\] **More on Tesla fires:** *[Parked Teslas Keep Catching Fire for Seemingly No Reason]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()