General safety question in case of accident

ajdelange

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A different but related problem has surfaced. You're driving in a leftish lane on a throughway. Something (presumably battery-related) fails in your Tesla. Your display tells you to pull over because the vehicle's about to die. Before you can comply, it dies -- stops -- loses all power -- whereupon it locks the drive wheels so you can't push it out of the way, or tow it, or even easily load it onto a flatbed. Being stuck in the middle of a throughway is deadly serious! (Apparently it's the same with some other EVs.)
It doesn't lock the rear wheels unless you put it in park so if the traction battery fails while you are en route you would have no problem coasting to the side of the road (except, of course, traffic) nor would the tow operator have any problem getting it onto the trailer.

If I have any value here it is in being able to relate my experiences to those of you who have no BEV familiarity in the hope that you might benefit from them. They say wisdom comes from having experiences that wise people don't have. Where you do get into trouble with locked wheels is if you put it in park and the screen computer then fails. This, in itself, is not a problem unless you have set the PIN security feature. With a failed screen computer you can operate the car - drive it to the service center if it's not far. But if you use the PIN feature without the screen you can't enter the PIN and can't get it out of park. Now you can't move the car. But the tow truck drivers have a way around this. They carry a sort of chock like thing that they shove under the rear wheels (the parking brakes are on those wheels) and when they pull the car up onto the truck the tires ride up onto those things to some extent and skid on them onto the truck. Some rubber is left but not much. It's only a foot or two.

The message is: Think about whether you really want the security of the PIN feature!
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alan auerbach

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It doesn't lock the rear wheels unless you put it in park so if the traction battery fails while you are en route you would have no problem coasting to the side of the road (except, of course, traffic) nor would the tow operator have any problem getting it onto the trailer.

If I have any value here it is in being able to relate my experiences to those of you who have no BEV familiarity in the hope that you might benefit from them. They say wisdom comes from having experiences that wise people don't have. Where you do get into trouble with locked wheels is if you put it in park and the screen computer then fails. This, in itself, is not a problem unless you have set the PIN security feature. With a failed screen computer you can operate the car - drive it to the service center if it's not far. But if you use the PIN feature without the screen you can't enter the PIN and can't get it out of park. Now you can't move the car. But the tow truck drivers have a way around this. They carry a sort of chock like thing that they shove under the rear wheels (the parking brakes are on those wheels) and when they pull the car up onto the truck the tires ride up onto those things to some extent and skid on them onto the truck. Some rubber is left but not much. It's only a foot or two.

The message is: Think about whether you really want the security of the PIN feature!
Thanks for the reassuring info A.J., but I was simply reflecting this news item. (I think the "power issue" was the failure of both the drive and the 12V batteries but not sure.)

[T]he Tesla owner was driving their Model S P85D on the highway, when the car begins to beep and warn that he needs to pull over immediately due to some power issue. Immediately after warning, all controls lock up, and the car comes to a halt, in the middle of a six-lane highway, leaving him no time to try and steer the car onto the shoulder, out of traffic.

The car will not budge from this point; it won’t go into neutral, the parking brake won’t release. It’s no longer a vehicle, it’s an immobile bit of sculpture blinking its hazard lights in the middle of the highway.
 
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Jhodgesatmb

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This is one thing I have thought about too. How to get out if you go through the ice when getting to the ice fishing shack? I have a window smashing tool for regular side windows if it happens today.
The CT will float for long enough to get out but maybe we need an ice thickness sensor as part of FSD :)
 

ajdelange

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The car will not budge from this point; it won’t go into neutral, the parking brake won’t release. It’s no longer a vehicle, it’s an immobile bit of sculpture blinking its hazard lights in the middle of the highway.
No question about it, if it gets into park and you can't get it out because the 12V system has failed, it's a brick. But you should be able to jump the 12V battery back to life. The real point is that you can get it out of park with a main screen or main screen computer failure as long as you have not enabled the PIN security feature. IOW the PIN security solves one problem (theft with a cloned key) only to create another (bricked car in case of computer/display failure). Which choice should one make?
 

Jhodgesatmb

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They may be on the clock for hours like that but most engineers and scientists (only profession I am familiar with) never stop thinking about a problem.
 


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How would 1st responders get into this truck in the case of an accident? If the windows are shatterproof how do they get in if person has a seizure or heart attack? I have one on order cause I love the truck but am wondering if anyone has an answer to this?
Russians don’t care! We never count on first responders :) there are not many first responders in the remotely areas of Russia… just think 7 times in advance before you do something or go somewhere…

and now let’s get serious. I don’t think Tesla did not ask same question before they even started to build this prototype. I am pretty sure they solved it at the very beginning. Safety First! Therefore all Teslas have the best safety rating. I think they do not wanna share their solution for other catmakers(carmakers).
 

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Had a motorcycle engine seize. I heard little bird start tweeting/the sound of metal on metal, and immediately pulled in the clutch. With ICE and a transmission, you just put in neutral, and coast it to the shoulder of the road, hopefully.
 

Crissa

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Electric motors don't have a neutral, and not all automatics really do, either.

But at least when that happens in a Tesla, all your 12v stuff works. Flashers, computer, etc.

-Crissa
 
 




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