Vehicle Safety - Emergency Exit in Case of Electrical Failure

[mfroelich]

I have been thinking about battery fire and vehicle drowning as it comes to the need for the emergency exit of the vehicle in circumstances where the electrical system may fail.

Given the bulletproof glass, the typical emergency destruction of the glass from the inside won't work I wonder if a mechanical opening of the roof panel could be incorporated into the design. I read that the bulletproof glass may add to the reinforcement of the exoskeleton. With that in mind, it seems like that the front roof panel would be the smallest and could be lifted with a mechanical lever.

I hate the thought of being burned or drowned alive even though the odds are extremely small compared to other types of accidents.

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[VolklKatana]

I have been thinking about battery fire and vehicle drowning as it comes to the need for the emergency exit of the vehicle in circumstances where the electrical system may fail.

Given the bulletproof glass, the typical emergency destruction of the glass from the inside won't work I wonder if a mechanical opening of the roof panel could be incorporated into the design. I read that the bulletproof glass may add to the reinforcement of the exoskeleton. With that in mind, it seems like that the front roof panel would be the smallest and could be lifted with a mechanical lever.

I hate the thought of being burned or drowned alive even though the odds are extremely small compared to other types of accidents.

I dont think the glass has anything to do with the structural rigidity of the design, otherwise driving with your window down would be a risky proposition..

I feel like i am nit-picking here, but the glass is advertised as impact resistant, not bulletprooof. The body is billed as being bulletproof. maybe this will put your mind at ease... https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a28422725/car-windows-glass-aaa-unbreakable/

 

[Sirfun]

I dont think the glass has anything to do with the structural rigidity of the design, otherwise driving with your window down would be a risky proposition..

I feel like i am nit-picking here, but the glass is advertised as impact resistant, not bulletprooof. The body is billed as being bulletproof. maybe this will put your mind at ease... https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a28422725/car-windows-glass-aaa-unbreakable/

I believe he's referring to the glass roof panels as being structural. Which would be correct. I also guess he's talking about the doors being damaged in an accident, otherwise you just open doors even in water. When I was 16 I flipped my dads 69 Chevy pickup upside down, into the San Diego river. Late at night, I was a busboy wearing polyester slacks on a vinyl bench seat without wearing a seat belt. When I took a left turn a little fast, I ended up sliding across the seat to the passenger door and the steering wheel went to full lock pinning me to the door. The truck flew off an embankment and flipped over upside down under water. I freaked out standing on the roof trying to open the door, pulling up on the manual door lever, as water was coming in. Then I realized The truck is upside down, so I needed to push down on the lever! Whooosh water comes in and I'm only hip deep. YAY I LIVED!!!!!
That's a good question though. What happens if none of the doors open? Maybe have a hatchet inside the CT?

 

[Jhodgesatmb]

go out the back window? I would rather destroy that than any of the others. And Musk did advertise the transparent aluminum glass as bulletproof, he never said how thick it had to be to stop a bullet.

 

[Blue Steel]

At least the front doors (maybe the back doors too) will have a mechanical fail safe. I highly doubt you'll be in a situation where you have an electrical failure AND both doors blocked.

I will say I have some concerns about sleeping in the vault with the cover closed, if there isn't a pass through to the cab. Maybe there will be a mechanical fail safe for the tail gate too.

 

[CyberCop]

Not concerned about opening door from the inside as all Teslas have mechanical override latches.
My concern would be if the batteries were completely dead and I needed to get inside.
I assume you would have to plug in somewhere to get a small charge to get the doors open.
hopefully your somewhere you can charge.
Does anyone know if current Tesla’s can be opened without a charge?

 

[Jhodgesatmb]

Not concerned about opening door from the inside as all Teslas have mechanical override latches.
My concern would be if the batteries were completely dead and I needed to get inside.
I assume you would have to plug in somewhere to get a small charge to get the doors open.
hopefully your somewhere you can charge.
Does anyone know if current Tesla’s can be opened without a charge?

There is only one kind of scenario where I can imagine this happening (no battery) and that is negligence. There are many scenarios that can be associated with negligence in this regard: being too far from a charger for too long, going on a trip and trickling away your charge while hiking or some such, driving on 'fumes' and running out of charge, etc., but they are all user controlled problems. You could take a small generator and some fuel or some solar cells if going into the outback. In other cases just don't push it. Some day there will be V2V charging and that will be cool. The previous discussion about crashing the car into a river, or a fire, would not initially compromise the batteries because they are designed to be waterproof (at least for a while, long enough to emergency exit, and the vehicle will float for some amount of time so you have that time to also get out. If Teslas have manual door opening for such situations that is comforting.

 

[Mini2nut]

On Twitter last night, Musk was asked if the Cybertruck would be able to cross streams:

Have you thought about Cybertruck’s wading depth? I hunt and fish and sometimes need to cross streams. Can I do it without damaging the truck?

Tesla’s CEO responded:

Yes. It will even float for a while.

Lately, Musk has been positioning the Cybertruck as a capable electric vehicle on- and off-road.