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Here's everything we know about 'Project Titan' - Tesla's covert program to replace solar-panel parts that could cause fires
Here's everything we know about 'Project Titan' - Tesla's covert program to replace solar-panel parts that could cause fires
Mark Matousek,Linette LopezAug 24, 2019, 02:51 IST
Engineer and tech entrepreneur Elon Musk of The Boring Company listens as Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel talks about constructing a high speed transit tunnel at Block 37 during a news conference on June 14, 2018 in Chicago, Illinois.Getty Images/Joshua Lott
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Last summer, Tesla began "Project Titan," an attempt to quietly replace defective solar-panel parts across the US, according to documents viewed by Business Insider.
The program focused on connectors made by Amphenol and optimizers which regulate the amount of energy and heat that flows to a solar panel. If a solar panel gets too hot, it can set on fire.
The issue affected Tesla's solar panels, not its Solar Roof shingle product.
In its statement, Tesla described Project Titan as "a remediation effort to limit any impact the connector may have had, even though we are not aware of any equipment manufacturer or regulator that has determined any substantial hazard exists."
Project Titan came about a year before Walmart sued Tesla, claiming the company failed to manage and maintain solar panels on hundreds of Walmart roofs around the US.
Tesla's negligence resulted in fires on the roofs of seven Walmart stores in states from Ohio to California, Walmart alleges in its lawsuit.
Last summer, Tesla began "Project Titan," an attempt to quietly replace defective solar-panel parts across the US, according to documents viewed by Business Insider.
The program primarily focused on connectors made by Amphenol and optimizers, which regulate the amount of energy and heat that flows to a solar panel. If a solar panel gets too hot, it can set on fire.
Project Titan came about a year before Walmart sued Tesla, claiming the company failed to manage and maintain solar panels on hundreds of Walmart roofs around the US according to their agreement, which stipulated that Tesla still owned all of the solar panels on Walmart's roofs. Tesla's negligence resulted in fires on the roofs of seven Walmart stores in states from Ohio to California, Walmart alleged in the lawsuit.
Amphenol did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment.
In its statement, Tesla described Project Titan as "a remediation effort to limit any impact the connector may have had, even though we are not aware of any equipment manufacturer or regulator that has determined any substantial hazard exists."
Here's everything we know about Project Titan.
Do you have any information about Project Titan or how Tesla tried to fix its solar problems? Are you a current or former Tesla employee with a story about the company you'd like to share? Email these reporters at llopez@businessinsider.com or mmatousek@businessinsider.com.
Project Titan began last summer and involved nearly 50 cities.
Amphenol connectors and SolarEdge optimizers were "quarantined" as part of Project Titan and were either reworked and put back on roofs or scrapped, a former Tesla employee, who asked to remain anonymous, said.
To execute Project Titan, Tesla ordered supplies including ladders and tool belts and sent crews out around the United States, according to the former employee. The replacement parts had to be ordered as well, as all of the Amphenol H4 connectors were to be replaced with MC4 connectors.
This didn't happen all at once. Standard operating procedures had to be set, crews had to be put together, according to the source. In December, 188 Tesla trucks were sent out to almost 50 US cities to change out faulty connectors and optimizers in support of Project Titan, according to Tesla documents viewed by Business Insider. Tesla declined to comment on this.
Tesla said that only a "small number" of connectors experienced failures and disconnections higher than their standards allowed.
In its statement, Tesla described Project Titan as "a remediation effort to limit any impact the connector may have had, even though we are not aware of any equipment manufacturer or regulator that has determined any substantial hazard exists."
"Over the past year, less than 1% of sites with this connector have exhibited any abnormal behavior," a Tesla representative said.
Tesla required repair teams to use refurbished parts when possible.
As late as April 2019, Tesla was still fine-tuning the Project Titan procedures. For example, according to one internal document from early April, Tesla mandated that all repair teams use refurbished parts as their first choice to replace damaged optimizers and connectors by the end of the month.
Tesla said that this was a factory-refurbished optimizer whose connector was different from the Amphenol H4 connector and that the part met its safety standards.
Tesla says Project Titan was a success.
Tesla told Business Insider that it thought Project Titan was successful in addressing issues with the H4 connector and its higher rate of failure.
"Based on data from the 3.6 gigawatts of solar we currently have deployed across thousands of commercial sites and hundreds of thousands of residential sites, we know that our installations are safe and responsibly installed, monitored, and maintained," a Tesla representative said.
But a former Tesla employee expressed doubts to Business Insider about whether Tesla was able to find and replace all defective parts.
A former Tesla employee described being unsure whether Tesla was able to find and replace all of the defective parts.
"We don't have a dedicated department to do this stuff," the person said. "Everything flows one way — make the product, sell the product, install the product."
"There is no maintenance," the person added. "The customer is just supposed to monitor these on their cellphone apps and call us if they have a problem."
