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You’re absolutely correct about the battery acting as a structural member. Another important safety plus is the removal of the engine. You now have the frunk a

You’re absolutely correct about the battery acting as a structural member. Another important safety plus is the removal of the engine. You now have the frunk acting as a large crumple zone and no chunk of metal shoving a steering column into the driver. But the battery indeed provides a lot of support to the pillars during side collisions. edit. It's been pointed out that the steering column has not been a safety issue for decades. However, I suppose the point remains about the added safety of lacking an engine, that is not having a block of metal ready to apply a large force in the drivers direction during a head on collision. But I'm happy to be corrected on this point too.

dsfyu404ed 8y ago
> and no chunk of metal shoving a steering column into the driver It's not 1960 anymore. We have collapsible columns and we no longer have steering gears mounted on the frame forward of the axle (we have racks mounted on or in the vicinity of the firewall). Steering column in the driver's face is a non-issue and has been for decades.
FireBeyond 8y ago
> you now have the frunk acting as a large crumple zone and no chunk of metal shoving a steering column into the driver. As a first responder who has responded to hundreds of MVAs, I have never seen nor heard of a steering column being shunted into a driver by the engine block. Perhaps in the 60s or earlier, but steering columns are designed to crumple.
rconti 8y ago
Collapsable steering columns have been a thing for decades, and while Tesla touts it, they certainly don't imply that they're the only ones with one. Traditional internal combustion engines have breakaway motor mounts these days, to allow the motor to detach from the chassis and drop down towards the roadway to minimize intrusion into the cabin, but having a motor crushed into your feet is only somewhat better than having it shoved into your lap, I suppose.

dsfyu404ed 8y ago

> and no chunk of metal shoving a steering column into the driver It's not 1960 anymore. We have collapsible columns and we no longer have steering gears mounted on the frame forward of the axle (we have racks mounted on or in the vicinity of the firewall). Steering column in the driver's face is a non-issue and has been for decades.

FireBeyond 8y ago

> you now have the frunk acting as a large crumple zone and no chunk of metal shoving a steering column into the driver. As a first responder who has responded to hundreds of MVAs, I have never seen nor heard of a steering column being shunted into a driver by the engine block. Perhaps in the 60s or earlier, but steering columns are designed to crumple.

rconti 8y ago

Collapsable steering columns have been a thing for decades, and while Tesla touts it, they certainly don't imply that they're the only ones with one. Traditional internal combustion engines have breakaway motor mounts these days, to allow the motor to detach from the chassis and drop down towards the roadway to minimize intrusion into the cabin, but having a motor crushed into your feet is only somewhat better than having it shoved into your lap, I suppose.