Where's the SAFETY features?

Marty Padgett's blog: Tesla Model S: $49,900, 7(ish) seats, 0-60 in 5.6, 300-mile range - The Car Connection

...Upon powering open the rear, our thought was that the rearmost two of the Model S' seven passengers could be no more than toddlers (a question about just how far the side-curtain airbags stretch back in order to protect those kids' heads was met with a flash of annoyance from the mostly cool, collected Musk)...

Click to expand...

Also, I wonder about a rear end impact. That rear hatch doesn't seem well protected by the diminutive bumper. Couldn't a minor impact cause major damage to the hatch?


Could it possibly be that the bottom of the hatchback (below the silver bar) is flexible material? I am concerned that a minor rear impact will dent the hatchback lid under the license plate frame.

Notice how bumpers on a Mazda 6 stick out and the hatchback bends in to protect itself:

Not nearly as pretty, but probably more damage resistant.

@thejump

I can't help but wonder whether your regular starting of negative threads on this board and your Michigan IP address is just a coincidence?

Seriously, the jump, do you honestly think that they wouldn't have all of the standard safety features (and then some) built into the car.

... Maybe if I hear there's working protos on the road then I'll believe it.

Click to expand...

Like the one in here?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HvzOdYVw6Pw

thejump said:

I'm sorry, what are you inferring here?

Click to expand...

That a click on the 'find other posts by this user' link brings up a lot of sensationalist thread titles and FUD...

@thejump,

I think you need to remember that the Model S is a prototype, and that it is at least 2 years away from production. Many things can change in 2 years. Remember what the Volt prototype looked like 2 years ago?

Many of the issues you raised can be easily dealt with, such as driver's ability to see kids in rear facing seats (ever heard of a webcam?). The car will have to pass crash testing and safety standards just like any other new model sedan sold in North America. Why don't you just let the process happen instead of trying to trash it the moment it's unveiled?

Chris H. said:

@thejump,

Remember what the Volt prototype looked like 2 years ago?

Click to expand...

I expect so.

The Jump, the sedan is still years away from production and I’m sure has many many tests (including safety) left to do before the car is road ready. I understand that much about the sedan can seem like hype, but TeslaMotors seem to be a very safety minded company. Below are some links to past blogs from the TeslaMotors website that talk about some of the safety testing they went through while developing the roadster:

http://www.teslamotors.com/blog4/?p=28#more-28

http://www.teslamotors.com/blog4/?p=42

http://www.teslamotors.com/blog4/?p=54#more-54

http://www.teslamotors.com/blog4/?p=55

http://www.teslamotors.com/blog4/?p=59

TEG said:

That rear hatch doesn't seem well protected by the diminutive bumper. Couldn't a minor impact cause major damage to the hatch?

...

Click to expand...

Maybe it isn't as bad as I thought. From above it looks like the rear hatch would be an easy target for a minor rear end incident, but looking at side photos I see it slopes away enough that you might avoid hatch contact:

I think the 'S' is probably deceptively tall as well. Those 21" wheels are very tall, so the gap under the bumper point is fairly tall. I think many contacts from the rear would hit in the flexible part lower on the downslope of the bumper. It might take getting hit by a big rig, or a jacked up pickup to hit the hatch frame.

And let's not forget Martin's video on how well the crash test simulations worked out for them (it actually turned up hairline cracks that they didn't notice or wrote off until the same thing turned up in actual crash testing). They may already have done some preliminary simulations as part of the design process.