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| A charred Tesla EV sits on the side of a highway after catching on fire following a collision in Sejong, Monday. Courtesy of National Fire Agency |
Korean consumers increasingly concerned about safety of US EVs
By Kim Hyun-bin
Tesla Korea has found itself facing criticism following a series of high-voltage battery failures, while one of its electric vehicles caught on fire while being repaired at a service center. Jitters have been increasing among many drivers of the popular EV over the possibility of their electric vehicle (EV) catching on fire, industry officials and Tesla drivers said, Wednesday.
The recent malfunction seems to have stemmed from a problem with the battery management system (BMS), a device that monitors the battery's current, voltage, and temperature in real time to maintain optimum operating condition. BMS is essential for all machines equipped with batteries, including EVs.
The problems with Tesla's BMS are known to occur mainly in the 2018 to 2021 models, including the Model S, Model X, Model 3, and Model Y.
Tesla conducts over-the-air updates (OTA) to check a car's condition and provide functional improvements. Drivers are notified with an error code on the center display when a problem occurs.
The battery-related error that is becoming a problem is the code "BMS_a066", and the message "maximum charge level and possible driving distance may decrease" is also displayed. The vehicles with the messages suffer from a maximum mileage decrease from 400km to 100 km per charge.
Other error codes also pop up if the driver does not take action, such as BMS_a079 (cannot charge), BMS a029 (reduced maximum battery charge level), 'BMS_w073 (cannot start vehicle), and BMS_w123 (car may not restart).
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| Tesla Model 3 / Courtesy of Tesla |
These errors are not only found in Korea but have happened overseas. In fact several posts related to battery errors appear on Tesla Motors Club, an online community of Tesla owners from around the world.
"I have the Ohmmu 12v battery installed and have gotten the replacement message. They sent me a new battery as soon as I told them about the problem along with a return label. However, the new battery still gets the same warning," a member of the community wrote.
"2022 Tesla model 3LR 12v Li-ion battery failure. 3-month-old 2022 Model 3LR with 5k miles displayed messages," another member wrote.
Currently, Tesla Korea is not revealing the cause of this error but, if the problem occurs, its service centers replace the faulty battery with a new one.
In addition, a Tesla recently went up in flames while it was being checked at a service center due to a battery problem.
A large number of comments about Tesla battery problems have been posted on the website of the Automobile Recall Center at the Korean Automobile Testing & Research Institute (KATRI) since November last year.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport has also launched a related investigation. There has been only one fire caused by a known battery problem, but as the matter is serious, the ministry plans to look closely at several cases related to battery failures. A preliminary investigation to collect various data on accidents related to Tesla batteries is underway and if judged to have a sufficient problem in the preliminary investigation, a formal manufacturing defect investigation will be conducted.
