A Tesla Model S smashed into a truck on Tuesday at ‘tremendous speed’ while driving around Germany’s autobahn. Though the accident scene looked truly terrifying, the driver was able to exit the vehicle and walk away–all thanks to the car’s impeccable safety features.
Thanks to Model S’ safety features
At the time of collision, the driver, a 56-year-old man, was traveling along Autobahn 5 near the city of Bruchsal. Officials say the accident happened because the driver could not merge into the right lane to avoid a truck that was acting as a shield for a construction site, notes Inverse.
The Tesla vehicle lodged itself underneath the truck, but despite that, it was in a relatively good condition. The Bruchsal Fire Department spoke to the EV firm about the right way to handle any potential electrical fire resulting from the crash, but they found that the battery pack was largely intact. The driver did suffer some serious injuries, but his condition was stable.
On Thursday, CEO Elon Musk took to Twitter to discuss the incident, saying, “Model S smashes into semi truck trailer and lifts it off the ground. Driver walks away.”
Tesla Model S driver walks away from crash with a truck at ‘tremendous speed’ https://t.co/Z79fXMO3JI pic.twitter.com/huvXfvOoPl
— Electrek.co (@ElectrekCo) November 29, 2016
Tesla’s Model S boasts impeccable safety standards and has won many praises for them. The vehicle scored five stars in every National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) safety category in August 2013, something never heard of before. The vehicle has features such as an auto-brake that helps drivers react to situations faster than they could otherwise, notes Inverse.
Several owners, including Jeffrey Katzenberg, CEO of DreamWorks Animation, have praised Tesla engineers for their skills, which helped them in potentially dangerous situations.
Unlike this accident, the company has recently been battling claims surrounding the accidents involving its Autopilot feature. Since the first fatal accident in May, the EV firm has been working to improve the Autopilot safety warnings.
Is Tesla phasing out grey seats?
In other Tesla news, an anonymous poster on Reddit’s r/teslamotors forum claims that the automaker has decided to remove the grey seats from the studio configurator. This person has a record of making predictions about Tesla’s plans with 100% accuracy, says Electrek.
This is not big news for sure, but potential buyers who fancied grey seats to go along with their unlimited charging will definitely be interested in making a move soon.
On Thursday, Tesla shares closed down 3.97% at $181.88. Year to date, the stock is down more than 24%, while in the last six months, it is down more than 17%.
