Major accident for me tonight (5/26) (New P85 arrives 7/8)

[GasDoc]

, it appears the BMW got airborne after "ramping" over the front fender/nose of your MS? If this is accurate, I'd guess that the majority of the damage to the BMW was from landing/rolling after that event, and not directly related to the impact with your car? I'd find it hard to believe his wheel was ripped off due to a glancing blow to your car... .

IMO, the damage to the M5 was not caused by the Model S. I think the damage was caused when the M5 driver lost control after glancing off the Model S front bumper.

The BMW did rollover completely, landing on it's wheels facing opposite the original direction of travel.

Each of the two statements made by forum members, above, would be in agreement with one another and consistent with an accident where one vehicle was travelling at a very high rate of speed striking another vehicle travelling at a low/normal rate of speed.

I'm trying not to say too much about the accident itself, and would prefer to address how the model S behaved after the fact and lessons I learned. One lesson I learned...I will carry tire chocks from now on. If involved in an accident or breakdown, I'll chock the tires and put the car in tow mode before the 12 volt battery dies. If I were Tesla, I'd consider putting in a 12v battery with more capacity and/or providing an easier way to "jump" the 12v battery--perhaps a set of lugs accessible from the frunk. That, and a "crash mode" display for the center screens should be Tesla's takeaway lessons from my accident. Tesla support and documentation should suggest applying 12v power if the center screen is dead or intermittent.

 

[efusco]

The BMW did rollover completely, landing on it's wheels facing opposite the original direction of travel.

I'm trying not to say too much about the accident itself, and would prefer to address how the model S behaved after the fact and lessons I learned. One lesson I learned...I will carry tire chocks from now on. If involved in an accident, I'll chock the tires and put the car in tow mode before the 12 volt battery dies.

Each of the two statements made by forum members, above, would be in agreement with one another and consistent with an accident where one vehicle was travelling at a very high rate of speed striking another vehicle travelling at a low/normal rate of speed.

Makes sense.

How do you put the S in "tow mode"...never thought about that before.

 

[GasDoc]

Makes sense.

How do you put the S in "tow mode"...never thought about that before.

It's in one of the center screens. The same screen as manually putting on the parking brake and powering down the car. Wish I could go to my car and tell you which one :frown:

This is one of the controls that Tesla should put as a shortcut in a crash mode screen.

 

[efusco]

It's in one of the center screens. The same screen as manually putting on the parking brake and powering down the car. Wish I could go to my car and tell you which one :frown:

This is one of the controls that Tesla should put as a shortcut in a crash mode screen.

OK, I'll find it. A short cut would be a good idea. Since most of us will never need it, its easy to forget it exists or where it is even if we remember.

 

[rlang59]

GasDoc,

How long is it going to take to get parts from Tesla? Do they have body panels that are available now or is that something that is going to take a few weeks/months to get?

 

[Galve2000]

GasDoc,

I'm glad to hear you and your family are ok and it sounds like the same is true of the occupants of the other car, which is fortunate.

How did the 60 KW Battery pack hold up? I know these things are built like a tank, but it's always an "extra" concern when it comes to BEVs...

 

[brianman]

How do you put the S in "tow mode"...never thought about that before.

Here:

 

[GasDoc]

GasDoc,

How long is it going to take to get parts from Tesla? Do they have body panels that are available now or is that something that is going to take a few weeks/months to get?

I'll know soon. It could be a while---like a month or more. Mike Chilton has a good relationship with Tesla and a direct order system but apparently all the parts are going into production right now. He's had one car there for over 2 months.

If anyone has any pull with the supply chain folks at Tesla...

 

[rlang59]

Tesla really needs to get off their ass on this type of thing. There is no reason that someone that was in an accident should have to wait for months to get parts. It is absolutely inexcusable.

 

[vgrinshpun]

GasDoc, given that the car will be in the shop for quite some time, where there any recommendations on how to treat the battery while car is in the shop? Keep it plugged (to not allow battery to be too hot), charge periodically (to maintain certain range on the level of charge), etc.


Thank you for sharing your experience in spite of this being time of hardship for you.

 

[GasDoc]

GasDoc, given that the car will be in the shop for quite some time, where there any recommendations on how to treat the battery while car is in the shop? Keep it plugged (to not allow battery to be too hot), charge periodically (to maintain certain range on the level of charge), etc..

I'm pretty sure my vampire loses are at a minimum right now since the main battery is isolated from the 12v system because of the fuse that blows when airbags are deployed. I think the battery is in a good place since it had about 2/3 of a charge at the time of the accident. If my car were up and running and I was on firmware 4.5, I'd probably set my car to 50% charge and ask that it be left plugged in.

I emailed my concerns to ownership and this is the reply they sent me:

Rest assured, I have spoken to the appropriate groups, our service employees and Chilton auto body, and the vehicle will be placed on a charge at some point in the next day or two. Given the normal loss of range due to electronics, and the charge state of your battery pack at the time of incident, I am very confident that no long-term degradation effects will be observed regarding your standard range outside the standard curve.

Also, if the state of charge becomes exceedingly low, we have safeguards in place to minimize the chances of permanent loss of range outside normal use. For example, the vehicle will hibernate to preserve the residual charge in the individual cells. It is not until the car loses this residual value that there is any danger of long-term effects outside the standard degradation curve. The vehicle can also alert us proactively when the state of charge becomes alarmingly low, so we can enact measure to prevent long-term effects.

Usually, the vehicle must be without charge for a period of months before these effects will begin to occur, so rest assured, in this instance, you are safe.

 

[scaesare]

The BMW did rollover completely, landing on it's wheels facing opposite the original direction of travel.

Each of the two statements made by forum members, above, would be in agreement with one another and consistent with an accident where one vehicle was travelling at a very high rate of speed striking another vehicle travelling at a low/normal rate of speed.

I'm trying not to say too much about the accident itself, and would prefer to address how the model S behaved after the fact and lessons I learned. One lesson I learned...I will carry tire chocks from now on. If involved in an accident or breakdown, I'll chock the tires and put the car in tow mode before the 12 volt battery dies. If I were Tesla, I'd consider putting in a 12v battery with more capacity and/or providing an easier way to "jump" the 12v battery--perhaps a set of lugs accessible from the frunk. That, and a "crash mode" display for the center screens should be Tesla's takeaway lessons from my accident. Tesla support and documentation should suggest applying 12v power if the center screen is dead or intermittent.

Understood on the need for limiting responses right now... thanks for taking the time to respond anyway...

I hope things go as well as possible for you and the repair

 

[efusco]

Here:
View attachment 23322

I knew about that, didn't appreciate it was related to towing or necessary for that.

 

[EarlyAdopter]

If I were Tesla, I'd consider putting in a 12v battery with more capacity and/or providing an easier way to "jump" the 12v battery--perhaps a set of lugs accessible from the frunk.

There are a set of 12v jumper blocks in the front nose cone. Just pop the shiny black plastic nose cone off and you'll see them behind there... oh wait, that M5 took your nose cone and the front of your car off. Never mind.

Maybe what needs to be said is Tesla should put a set of lugs farther back from the nose, since it will no doubt be destroyed in a collision. They certainly could have made the 12v battery itself easier to get to.

 

[SouthJerseyJon]

I think Tesla might make it part of the next software update to AUTOMATICALLY put the car in tow mode (raise the suspension and lock the air suspension if the car is so equipped) if a crash is detected or airbags deploy. I can't see any negative to such a safety feature because if the car is driveable, it could then be overridden. If however it is not driveable, it would prevent further damage by a tow truck.

 

[4SUPER9]

GASDOC,
Glad you and your passengers are okay. I've been thinking about your crash a lot since reading this thread. There are so many crazies out there. No matter how good of a driver we may be, this just goes to show that even if we do everything right, something horrible can go wrong. What inspired you to get a dash cam? I looked this toy up and it seems to run around $250. Not hugely expensive, but not super cheap either. Would be kind of cool to have one, but I never heard of civilians using them until now. You were certainly wise, oh and yes, very lucky.

 

[GasDoc]

I think Tesla might make it part of the next software update to AUTOMATICALLY put the car in tow mode (raise the suspension and lock the air suspension if the car is so equipped) if a crash is detected or airbags deploy. I can't see any negative to such a safety feature because if the car is driveable, it could then be overridden. If however it is not driveable, it would prevent further damage by a tow truck.

I don't know if "Tow Mode" disengages the parking brake as well as raise and lock the suspension. I think you would want the brakes engaged when stopped and the parking brake off only when towing has started.

- - - Updated - - -

GASDOC,
Glad you and your passengers are okay. I've been thinking about your crash a lot since reading this thread. There are so many crazies out there. No matter how good of a driver we may be, this just goes to show that even if we do everything right, something horrible can go wrong. What inspired you to get a dash cam? I looked this toy up and it seems to run around $250. Not hugely expensive, but not super cheap either. Would be kind of cool to have one, but I never heard of civilians using them until now. You were certainly wise, oh and yes, very lucky.

This is the thing that disturbs me the most about the accident. In my life and job I'm used to being in control of a lot of factors. The thought that you can do everything right and disaster can strike out of the blue is really disturbing.

Why did I buy it? Blame it on that Russian meteorite; I never heard of dash cams before that. I guess I like gadgets and that there aren't many third party things that you can buy to jazz up a Model S. I read the threads on Teslamotors and TMC and was comfortable with the installation process and tapping into the 12v power available in the microphone grill. I'm not up to the task of installing front parking sensors or radar/laser equipment yet. My wife thought it was a stupid waste of money at the time.

 

[EdA]

GASDOC,
Glad you and your passengers are okay. I've been thinking about your crash a lot since reading this thread. There are so many crazies out there. No matter how good of a driver we may be, this just goes to show that even if we do everything right, something horrible can go wrong. What inspired you to get a dash cam? I looked this toy up and it seems to run around $250. Not hugely expensive, but not super cheap either. Would be kind of cool to have one, but I never heard of civilians using them until now. You were certainly wise, oh and yes, very lucky.

This has been an internet phenomena for some time but the meteor certainly popularized it.

Meteors, Fights and Insane Crashes: The Crazy World of Russian Dash-Cam Videos | VICE United States

There are many many many more of them...

/Ed

 

[twinklejet]

There are many many many more of them...

/Ed

 

[Francis Lau]

Warning! The video is very graphic and can be disturbing to some. Viewer discretion recommended.