2016 Tesla Model small overlap IIHS crash test of
February 2, 2017 at 5 am by Bengt Halvorson 33 Photography by IIHS and manufacturers.
Engineers working on electric vehicles tend to talk about the freedoms offered by getting rid of that great hulking piece of metal classic internal combustion engine to the passenger It not only provides smarter packaging, but additional space for energy absorbing crash, they boast, making for better occupant protection However, the results for a new issue of crash test that the model Tesla S t fully hasn that promise.
When testing the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety IIHS, the S model underdelivered in some areas and denied a place on top security organization Choose honor roll Demerits included a second-best Acceptable to front small overlap crash test, bad for the performance of the headlights, and an asterisk that excludes the top P100D top Good protection Index roof strength rollover.
This is in contrast with 2013 the results of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration NHTSA, which has given the Model S a top five stars in each category and subcategory At this time, Tesla boasted these results as being the highest score for any vehicle ever tested in the federal vehicle safety system Score VSS.
In the IIHS test just released, of most concern are the results of the trial before small overlap crash, which simulates what happens when the front corner of a vehicle collides with 40mph another vehicle or a fixed object such as a utility pole or tree results are applicable to models S cars built after October 2016, when Tesla extended his side curtain airbags for better coverage in accidents of this type the group, hadn t tested before the S model, details that the dummy's head hit the steering wheel through the airbag; head injuries would be possible, as the wounds on his right leg.
While hundreds of pounds of batteries carried by electric cars, set low, can improve the center of mass of a vehicle and make it more stable, the roof strength test points that they can become a liability a kind of crash the roof of the P100D faster version, with its additional weight of battery, could not set up enough of a fight to keep the note of other versions.
The IIHS noted that Tesla is working with the supplier to improve the headlights and make changes available to the S model seat belt that could improve the outcome of the frontal test.
The model ratings are part of a new group of results IIHS released this week, including full odds on four models of plug-ins While the Chevrolet Volt and the Toyota Prius Begin the two plug-in hybrids, managed to get spots on top of group Safety pick honor roll, the model S and the BMW i3 didn t do as well.
The BMW i3 which uses a body wrap plastic reinforced with carbon fibers, obtained the best score good in the four categories of dynamic shock vehicles, including small-overlap frontal crash test, but plays not the mark in both categories related to headlights and headrest, receive acceptable ratings.
So far, the Nissan Leaf is the only other car the IIHS has tested that was designed from the start as an electric vehicle Its results are also pockmarked with a poor rating in the crash tests before small overlap with that, and these newer models and S i3 results, it seems that there is still room for an EV safety champion; IIHS noted that s plan to test later, the Chevrolet Bolt EV this year.
Tesla Model S Misses IIHS Top Safety Pick level SmallOverlap before Crash Test - News - Car and tesla, model security.