Posted on 08/20/2013 9:10:28 PM PDT by grundle
As much as electric car builders hail their vehicles as the future of transportation, one question they couldn't answer fully was just how well their vehicles would withstand a crash. Automakers have spent decades finessing their chassis; what happened when an engine-less vehicle went head-on into a barrier wasn't clear, and as the post crash-test smoldering of a Chevy Volt demonstrated, the batteries posed new challenges.
Leave it to Tesla to provide the first hard evidence with data from U.S. government tests showing the Model S sedan may be the most crash-proof passenger vehicle on the road today.
Normally, Tesla's garnering of five stars on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's crash tests wouldn't be a headline; most new cars and trucks get at least five stars in frontal crash protection and four stars in side impact. But the Model S did better than that; it got five stars in all tests; front, side impact, pole and rollover prevention. Plus, the scores of its frontal, side and rollover test combined were higher than any car ever crashed by NHTSA and according to Tesla, at one point the testers nearly broke their equipment trying to damage the Model S.
For its front crash tests, NHTSA runs vehicles into a wall at 35 mph. Most cars use a combination of crumple zones often pieces of their steel frames that look like accordion bellows air bags and engine mounts that send the motor underneath the car to protect passengers. Since the Model S has no engine up front, it has more space for crumple zones in its aluminum chassis.
(Excerpt) Read more at autos.yahoo.com ...
as soon as I can scrape together that last 49k I will own a Tesla!
Every new auto assembly plant gets a chance to advance the state-of-the-art in automation and technology, but Tesla had more money than most, and did an amazing job of it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_lfxPI5ObM
You can get a pretty good idea of how the car is designed by watching it being assembled. Not a lot of low-skilled jobs in this factory.
You couldn’t give me one.
They are gorgeous. Might be the wife’s next car.
Maybe Musk will buy the Nobel peace prize next.
“You couldnt give me one.”
Consumer Reports highest scoring car ever. Best crash tests ever. Great looking exterior and interior. Current owners love it. 0-60 in 4.5 seconds. Priced too high for me or I’d buy one in a second. But you would not take one if it was given to you? I really don’t understand why fellow conservatives are so against electric vehicles. Yes there are the government subsidies but do you want liberals to get all the money? This is exciting technology that still is in it’s infancy but the Tesla Model S and Nissan Leaf are amazing vehicles. Test drive a Leaf. You will surprised what a nice car it really is.
I'm not holding my breath.
Scouts Out! Cavalry Ho!
Does it come in a woody model?
From my statement you assumed that I was against electric vehicles? Nope, I said I wouldn’t take a Tesla. Do you have any idea what it’ll cost to replace those batteries? To install a charger in your garage? To charge the batteries? Do you have AAA to tow you constantly when the batteries run out? Did you know they only tow someone X number of times a year? What are insurance costs for such an expensive vehicle? Nice toy for someone like George Clooney who has a stable of cars. A daily driver? Hardly. Maybe someday.
2015 the turbo Honda Civic hits the market with an avg 60 MPG at 300 hp. Sweet.
I’d take one to.
I look at it for what it is a high priced sports car...some folks would never buy a Corvette or even a Mustang for that matter..let alone a Tesla or Lamborghini
Unless you live in a big city the electrics are not going to be daily drivers for awhile, but I suspect they will get there much faster than most here suspect.
Anyone tech junkies like me, following Tesla closely? I’m pretty excited for Tesla esp with their expansion of Tesla station around US. Being stuck in the middle of nowhere will be a thing of the past
Do you know the average miles per charge on a Tesla?
Just wondering and too lazy to look it up.
Had a 2004 Honda Civic si that I loved. Put 240,000 miles on it. I may have to pick up one of these Honda Turbos....
Damn...! It looks like the Civic type R is only being released in the European market....
a range of up to 265 miles (426 km) per charge
Tesla supercharger
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TszRyT8hjJE
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