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Tesla Model 3 becomes only car to ace truck crash test

Model 3 rear-end truck collision test (Image source: DCAR/YT)
Model 3 rear-end truck collision test (Image source: DCAR/YT)
Among 30 vehicles priced up to $230,000, the Model 3 was the only one that managed to check all safety marks in a rear-end truck collision test, one of the deadliest vehicular accident scenarios.

Tesla cars have consistently earned high ratings in the crash tests administered by various global transportation safety bodies.

This has been due not only to the low center of gravity that the heavy battery pack placed at the bottom of electric cars brings, but also to clever chassis engineering that tries to absorb as much of the kinetic energy during a crash as possible before it reaches the cabin with the driver and passengers.

The latest example of Tesla's stellar vehicle safety credentials comes in the form of the notorious trailer crash test that the Chinese DCAR Institute for Collision Safety administers.

That's not the Devil's Drill Card test where a car slams into a parked semi, going underneath it while another one rear-ends it, but it is still one of the most demanding crash tests one can try on any vehicle.

The trailer drill crash test witnessed the Model 3 pass with flying colors, making it the only vehicle among a lot of 30 or so to ace its checkmarks. The Model 3 barely made it to the A-pillar when it slid under the truck, then bounced back, while some others deformed all the way to the C-pillars.

Surprisingly enough, Xiaomi's first jab at an electric vehicle, the SU7, also did well, deflecting the energy up and away from the crash test dummies, though the testers noted that panoramic glass roofs aren't really helping in such scenarios.

As Tesla's chief engineer Lars Moravy explains, the Model 3 chassis is built with structural flexibility in mind, designed for gradual kinetic energy absorption during a crash that peaks just before reaching the cabin.

In the end, the testers acknowledge that both Model 3 passengers would have likely been able to walk away, surviving one of the deadliest vehicular accident scenarios of rear-ending a truck.

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Tesla Model 3 was the sole vehicle acing the truck collision test checkmarks
Tesla Model 3 was the sole vehicle acing the truck collision test checkmarks

Source(s)

DCAR via GeekLaii (Weibo)

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> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > News > News Archive > Newsarchive 2024 11 > Tesla Model 3 becomes only car to ace truck crash test
Daniel Zlatev, 2024-11-13 (Update: 2024-11-13)