Tesla takes safety pretty seriously, and it loves to talk about how well its vehicles score in crash tests. The Model X, in particular, scored so well on its NHTSA tests that it became the highest scoring SUV in the world. This weekend on Twitter, Tesla shared a video of internal testing where the Model X is put through the wringer again and again, but each time, the vehicle comes out roll-free.
If you think of a car like a filing cabinet, putting all of the weight in a top drawer will make it easier to tip, while the majority of the weight in the bottom will give it a much sturdier footing. Given that analogy, these results are far from surprising due to the Model X’s low center of gravity.
Despite being a taller SUV, the Model X carries the majority of its weight at the bottom of the vehicle thanks to its unique battery storage compartment. With the battery packs weighing anywhere from 1,200 to 1,400 pounds, this allows the Model X to carry nearly a quarter of its weight at the lowest point of the vehicle.
In case you want to see a bunch of Model Xs get smashed up, we covered the Model X crash tests before and talked about the low possibility of a rollover. The Model X was even branded “the safest SUV” after becoming the first-ever vehicle in its class to get five-star safety ratings in every category.
Now, rollovers aren’t impossible in the real world. There are way too many factors that come into play to call a vehicle “unrollable,” but the Model X has been commended for its low rollover possibility when it received its NHTSA crash test ratings. Nevertheless, watching the Tesla being put to the test is an interesting sight to see, as we’re used to seeing SUVs be far less elegant when certain unfriendly momentum changes occur.
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