Tesla Model 3

[JSH]

Originally Posted by NeilBlanchard

The forces on the people in a crash in a Model 3 are significantly lower than even the Model S. The chances of injury in a Model 3 is something like only 6.3%, vs something like 9% in the Model S. And the Model X is only a bit higher than the S.

All three of them are well ahead of the rest of the field - of 5 Star cars. The worst of the 5 Star cars has a chance of injury of something like 29%.

So, there most definitely is a difference between cars with the same rating.

Also, Tesla has made many changes as they ramped up production. We don't know when the teardown car(s) were built.

The difference between the forces in the Model 3 and Model S mostly due to the difference between the vehicle weights. The more a car weighs the more force it must dissipate when that car smashes into an immovable object. A Model S weighs up to 1000 lbs more than a Model 3. Weight is a disadvantage when hitting a immovable object. The test is only tangentially relevant in the real world.

This is why the NHTSA very clearly says that crash ratings are not comparable between different classes of cars or cars in the same class that differ by more than 250lbs.

EDIT: Per the Jalopnik article linked above; the cut-off for a 5 star rating is a 10% chance of injury. A car with a 29% chance of injury would get a 2 star rating.

The Model 3 scored lower than the BMW 3 Series, Mercedes C-Class, and Audi A4 in IIHS crash tests. That blows a hole in the "Tesla Model 3 is the safest car ever" headlines.

[RedDevil]

Originally Posted by JSH

A good design is reliable AND serviceable. It isn’t a question of either / or.

Yes it is. The more reliable a part is, the less likely it ever needs replacing. That's why I said it is a matter of economics.

I want my parts infinitely reliable, or as near that as reasonably possible. If they need replacement after all, have them in units that are easy to replace. Those units don't have to be serviceable by themselves. There's not supposed to be many of them failing anyway.

I did repair TV's in the old days. At first you needed a fair bit of electronics knowledge, but as time progressed everything became integrated. My last 10 repairs were all like resoldering the power switch onto the print board. In the end the mechanics and construction of TV's became most important as that aspect was still lagging in sophistication in comparison to the electronics.

[oil pan 4]

Well for me it's more economical to have a battery I can use for house power after its done being used in a car.

[thingstodo]

Originally Posted by redpoint5

If people were rational

You don't have to go any further in that sentence. If people were rational the world would be a *MUCH* different place.

Mostly people just want something large so that they aren't on the losing end of their poor decisions.

Count me in that one. I'd prefer not to die because I am being careless, or not concentrating 100% on my driving, or because a moose decided to cross the road in front of me at that precise moment.

The number of moose collisions (their eyes don't reflect headlights like deer, caribou, wolves, cattle, elk, etc ... so it's much more difficult to avoid colliding with them!) on our highways influenced my decision to purchase a truck instead of a sedan. I should survive in a truck. In a sedan, the car takes out the legs and the moose comes through the windshield - alive, kicking, and desperately trying to get away.

Just saying that there are a number of reasons to purchase bigger vehicles. Better odds of surviving sounds like a good one.

I'd also prefer that no one get injured in any other vehicle that I collide with, should that collision occur. I don't believe there is a crash test for that.

[redpoint5]

I'm not making a judgement call in what people purchase, as I drive everything from a ~380 lb motorcycle to a 7,000 diesel truck. As always, just trying to give some perspective of relative risks, and how best to mitigate them.

Moose sound like quite the threat; hopefully they don't dart out into the road as quickly as deer.

[Fat Charlie]

A Møøse once bit my sister... No realli! She was Karving her initials on the møøse with the sharpened end of an interspace tøøthbrush given her by Svenge - her brother-in-law - an Oslo dentist and star of many Norwegian møvies: "The Høt Hands of an Oslo Dentist", "Fillings of Passion", "The Huge Mølars of Horst Nordfink"

[Fat Charlie]

Mynd you, møøse bites Kan be pretti nasti...

[Xist]

I saw a nice big deer on the side of the road the other day. I felt quite grateful that it did not come out to meet me!

[JSH]

Originally Posted by oil pan 4

Well for me it's more economical to have a battery I can use for house power after its done being used in a car.

It seems to me than even a new EV battery would be a cheap way to get battery back-up for a house. A 13.5 kWh Tesla Powerwall 2 costs $5,900. A new 24 kWh Nissan Leaf Battery only cost $5500.

[redpoint5]

Why spend money at all on such a limited store of power, unless it allows you to completely cut the cable on power? A generator costs much less and has limitless electricity so long as you keep pouring fuel into the tank.