Tesla Model Y owners might feel a little better about their SUVs after seeing this one.
Every once in a while, first responders and onlookers will see a crash that doesn’t make sense. In just that sort of wreck, firefighters had to rescue a trapped passenger from an SUV after it flew through the air and landed on a Tesla Model Y. Interestingly enough, the Model Y didn’t seem to care much.
The roof of a Tesla Model Y is a hell of a landing spot for another SUV
First responders in Fountain Valley, California are likely scratching their heads at an SUV sandwich. Firefighters and emergency medical services (EMS) arrived on the scene of a wreck to find a stationary Toyota GR Corolla, a damaged Kia sedan, and an SUV teetering on top of a white Tesla Model Y.
The wreck happened at a Fountain Valley intersection and damaged at least four vehicles, most notably the two SUVs. A violent rush-hour crash sent the dark blue SUV into the air, landing on the roof of the Model Y. Now, that’s no simple feat. The Tesla SUV’s roofline is nearly five and a half feet tall. That’s quite a leap.
Fountain Valley firefighters used shoring equipment like large hydraulic arms to stabilize the precarious SUV as they extricated a trapped passenger. However, as if it were an advertisement for the safety standards of the Tesla SUV, the damage to the Model Y’s roof was minimal. Instead, first responders worked around the seemingly undisturbed Tesla SUV to stabilize the cockeyed SUV.
Frankly, the Tesla Model Y’s roof strength is strong for the segment. Empirically strong. In Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) testing, the Model Y resisted 19,188 lbs of peak force against its roof, giving it a strength-to-weight ratio of 4.42. By contrast, the Hyundai Ioniq 5 resisted around 18,197 lbs of force, nearly 1,000 shy of the Model Y’s figure.
It should be noted that both EVs earned “Good” ratings in the roof strength subcategory of the crashworthiness testing. However, the Ford Mustang Mach-E, another competitor, bests the Model Y’s roof strength by nearly 9,000 lbs. That’s quite a flex.
