Instant Compact F150 (Structure matters!)

[Ogre]

Saw this crazy video from the IIHS where they loaded up an F150 with concrete and smashed it into their test wall at 40MPH.

These guys were just testing their system out to ensure it could handle the weight, but seeing what this load did to the cab of the truck was … stunning.

That white block you see in the drivers seat of the truck was strapped down in the bed of the truck at the start of the video. If anyone was in the truck when this crash happened they would likely be dead. The load just smashed through the entire bed wall, rear seats, front seats and is now smashed against the firewall.

When people talk about 3500 pounds of cargo capacity, that’s the kind of crazy forces you are dealing with.

Also notable, the truck just accordions up, but not in a good way.

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[Crissa]

Wow, I hope the new trucks are better. That was horrific. That was worse than most side impacts.

-Crissa

 

[charliemagpie]

scary.

 

[MEDICALJMP]

Newton’s First Law: An object at rest tends to stay at rest unless acted upon.
The mass in the truck bed was an unsecured load. The results were both devastating and expected. Not truly analogous to an EV truck unless you are testing unsecured loads in a Lightening or R1T. As they said earlier in the full video, they wanted to find out if their testing equipment can handle the new, heavier EV vehicles.

 

[SolarWizard]

Biggest takeaways
That truck is 4 generations old
The payload in the back is > 2x the rated capacity
That block is setting on a nearly frictionless steel plate and does not appear to be laterally secured.
This test does nothing but serve as a reminder to be safe when actually using a truck. You should see what happens to HD trucks up to class 8 without properly secured payloads

 

[Bill906]

Anyone else immediately think of this classic meme?

 

[CyberGus]

IIHS Approved ?

 

[JBee]

All the more reason NOT to have a midgate in the CT. Anything unsecured in the bed is a potential lethal projectile.

 

[Diehard]

It sounds like the main reason they are doing this is extra weight of EVs. The extra mass is often under the vehicle and less likely to crush passengers. In fact that extra weight may make the vehicle safer for it's passengers by adding stability and momentum.

 

[JBee]

It sounds like the main reason they are doing this is extra weight of EVs. The extra mass is often under the vehicle and less likely to crush passengers. In fact that extra weight may make the vehicle safer for it's passengers by adding stability and momentum.

By crushing who or whatever your crashing into?

Lighter is better.

Avoiding the crash is best.

 

[Diehard]

By crushing who or whatever your crashing into?

Lighter is better.

Are you a reservation holder for Cybertruck? or a Smart car? in fact, I did take a test drive in a smart car surrounded by large SUVs and trucks on the highway feeling like I could be blown away any moment. Putting my own life on the line is one thing but my family? And that is the sad reason America disagrees with you. Average size and weight of Ameriacn cars on highways have been only increasing.

What you are saying makes sense as a whole for society but what makes sense does not often prevail.

 

[Ogre]

Biggest takeaways
That truck is 4 generations old
The payload in the back is > 2x the rated capacity
That block is setting on a nearly frictionless steel plate and does not appear to be laterally secured.
This test does nothing but serve as a reminder to be safe when actually using a truck. You should see what happens to HD trucks up to class 8 without properly secured payloads

All correct. Though it might have been laterally secured and the anchors may have sheered the mount points. I’ve seen many trucks where the mount points are just folded over thin steel. Look at the way the truck frame folded.

 

[Crissa]

Newton’s First Law: An object at rest tends to stay at rest unless acted upon.
The mass in the truck bed was an unsecured load. The results were both devastating and expected. Not truly analogous to an EV truck unless you are testing unsecured loads in a Lightening or R1T. As they said earlier in the full video, they wanted to find out if their testing equipment can handle the new, heavier EV vehicles.

It had straps.

But people pish posh when I belt loads into my car.

Hah. I've been in an accident while carrying a load. You do not want stuff flying around.

Definitely going to spring for the 1000lb straps next time tho. Every snapped mount or belt is some amount of dynamic load reduced from hitting you.

Are you a reservation holder for Cybertruck? or a Smart car? in fact, I did take a test drive in a smart car surrounded by large SUVs and trucks on the highway feeling like I could be blown away any moment.

The Smart Car actually had a better crash rating than most larger suvs at the time of release.

Not truly analogous to an EV truck...

Who said that? Did I miss it in the video?

That's why I compared it to a side impact. The load hit a side of the cabin.

-Crissa

 

[Ogre]

Watched the video again and it is very curious.

They have metal rails and quite beefy chains strapping this thing quite solidly to the deck. But there is no lateral attachment. It’s almost like they wanted to guarantee the weight would not leave the bed of the truck but were relying on friction alone to prevent the truck from sliding forward into the cab.

I almost think they did this deliberately to smash the cab for fun. You have to figure the people who get these jobs have to love smashing things. Smashing a truck in a new and unique way would be the best part of their day. They probably had bets as to how far into the cabin it penetrated.

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