Photo: YouTube screenshot
Electric vehicles in general and Teslas, in particular, are renowned for their very high safety standards, all due to the rigidity of the battery pack and the lack of an engine mounted up front that could protrude into the passenger compartment.
Things are actually a bit more complex, but we're no experts, you're not expert, so let's leave it at that. The fact of the matter is that if you absolutely have to be involved in a crash, it's probably best to do it in a Tesla.
Some people have involuntarily put this statement to the test, and while it's been just Model S and Model Xs so far, with the occasional Roadster thrown in the mix, the release of the Model 3 meant there was another Tesla around to test its crash-worthiness against various objects.
Late last month, we showed you an annoying vlogger who just happened to walk by a blue Model 3 that had planted itself head-on deep into a pole. The picture wasn't pretty, but the fact everyone involved was able to walk away from the incident immediately cheered you up. Well, everyone apart from the pole, which remained as immobile as it was before.
The owner of said Model 3 has now shown up on Reddit with his story, and while he credits the Tesla with saving his and his passenger's lives, he points out two safety flaws in its design. One is the lack of an option to open the glove compartment after the main display has been shattered - a plausible possibility in a crash, I'm sure you'll agree - and the other, closely related and a lot more stingy, the fact that the shattered screen might end up in your face, chest or arms.
Here's his recount of the incident in full: “I read that Tesla’s are one of the safest cars on the road today. They are right! The car is totaled but I am fine, my right ankle is swollen from hitting the gas pedal but I can still walk fine. Had this been a regular ICE vehicle I would be dead or in a lot worse condition. Everyone from the paramedics to the tow truck driver said that people don’t usually walk away from this. I already put in another Model 3 reservation."
"My only complaint about this car is that during the crash my passenger’s arm hit the screen and shattered it which prevented me from opening the glove box w/ title and insurance. Needs a manual option. Also my passenger got a pretty big cut on her arm. Maybe add a screen airbag. All in all it is a phenomenal car and I owe my life to Tesla.”
Elon Musk quickly took to Twitter to announce the company would be looking into solving these two issues by having the glovebox open automatically after a crash (via a software update) and applying a thin film over the screen to keep the shards from turning into shrapnel.
“Adding software feature to open glovebox automatically when car comes to a stop after a crash. Will look at bonding a thin plastic sheet to the front or back of screen.” (via electrek) No word on when the updates (both software and hardware) are coming, so try not to crash in the meantime.
Some people have involuntarily put this statement to the test, and while it's been just Model S and Model Xs so far, with the occasional Roadster thrown in the mix, the release of the Model 3 meant there was another Tesla around to test its crash-worthiness against various objects.
Late last month, we showed you an annoying vlogger who just happened to walk by a blue Model 3 that had planted itself head-on deep into a pole. The picture wasn't pretty, but the fact everyone involved was able to walk away from the incident immediately cheered you up. Well, everyone apart from the pole, which remained as immobile as it was before.
The owner of said Model 3 has now shown up on Reddit with his story, and while he credits the Tesla with saving his and his passenger's lives, he points out two safety flaws in its design. One is the lack of an option to open the glove compartment after the main display has been shattered - a plausible possibility in a crash, I'm sure you'll agree - and the other, closely related and a lot more stingy, the fact that the shattered screen might end up in your face, chest or arms.
Here's his recount of the incident in full: “I read that Tesla’s are one of the safest cars on the road today. They are right! The car is totaled but I am fine, my right ankle is swollen from hitting the gas pedal but I can still walk fine. Had this been a regular ICE vehicle I would be dead or in a lot worse condition. Everyone from the paramedics to the tow truck driver said that people don’t usually walk away from this. I already put in another Model 3 reservation."
"My only complaint about this car is that during the crash my passenger’s arm hit the screen and shattered it which prevented me from opening the glove box w/ title and insurance. Needs a manual option. Also my passenger got a pretty big cut on her arm. Maybe add a screen airbag. All in all it is a phenomenal car and I owe my life to Tesla.”
Elon Musk quickly took to Twitter to announce the company would be looking into solving these two issues by having the glovebox open automatically after a crash (via a software update) and applying a thin film over the screen to keep the shards from turning into shrapnel.
“Adding software feature to open glovebox automatically when car comes to a stop after a crash. Will look at bonding a thin plastic sheet to the front or back of screen.” (via electrek) No word on when the updates (both software and hardware) are coming, so try not to crash in the meantime.
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