Last week got side swiped by a semi-truck driver. He just decided to come into my lane, and keep coming. No injuries, simply walked away.
Biggest concern was swerving back into his wheels so corrective action after the initial hit was to put a bit more distance between him and me (shoulder was to my right as I was in the slow lane doing 61MPH) up a hill. Pulled over to the shoulder in a few hundred feet while he literally kept going.
Lessons learned:
* I don't think the auto-pilot is good enough to dodge a vehicle coming at you from the side who really wants your lane.
* Always be ready to take corrective action
* I don't think a Tesla is going to speed up in case someone is trying to rear end you
* Even though the Model S is a low slung vehicle, it's body is solid enough to withstand a hit
* The wholesale (wrecked) value of these cars are high, incentivizing insurance companies to "total" vehicles as to recoup the loss on resale for the batteries (as per the auto-repair guys)
* Tesla (as a body shop) is hugely backed up. May 7th is when they said they could see me. Tesla approved body shop was "same day"
As per the body shop, if it were simply the doors, they could fix/replace. If it's the quarter panel, it's going to cost more (cut, rivet and glue the replacement). Because the wheels (on both sides) were tweaked, there is probable axle / motor damage. Initial damage assessment to the insurance company basically put it at a complete loss and hence ... totalled.
If you're in CA:
* CHP will call a tow, make sure it's a flat bed
* The tow will take you off the highway (nearest exit) or to their tow yard. $90/day is the storage fee, and the tow fee comes from your insurance company.
* Have a copy of your registration, you need this for the vehicle release from the tow yard. Cops can run plates to find the RO ... tow yards can't.
Biggest concern was swerving back into his wheels so corrective action after the initial hit was to put a bit more distance between him and me (shoulder was to my right as I was in the slow lane doing 61MPH) up a hill. Pulled over to the shoulder in a few hundred feet while he literally kept going.
Lessons learned:
* I don't think the auto-pilot is good enough to dodge a vehicle coming at you from the side who really wants your lane.
* Always be ready to take corrective action
* I don't think a Tesla is going to speed up in case someone is trying to rear end you
* Even though the Model S is a low slung vehicle, it's body is solid enough to withstand a hit
* The wholesale (wrecked) value of these cars are high, incentivizing insurance companies to "total" vehicles as to recoup the loss on resale for the batteries (as per the auto-repair guys)
* Tesla (as a body shop) is hugely backed up. May 7th is when they said they could see me. Tesla approved body shop was "same day"
As per the body shop, if it were simply the doors, they could fix/replace. If it's the quarter panel, it's going to cost more (cut, rivet and glue the replacement). Because the wheels (on both sides) were tweaked, there is probable axle / motor damage. Initial damage assessment to the insurance company basically put it at a complete loss and hence ... totalled.
If you're in CA:
* CHP will call a tow, make sure it's a flat bed
* The tow will take you off the highway (nearest exit) or to their tow yard. $90/day is the storage fee, and the tow fee comes from your insurance company.
* Have a copy of your registration, you need this for the vehicle release from the tow yard. Cops can run plates to find the RO ... tow yards can't.
