Hummmm, can we vote for equipping police and fire vehicles with steel balls: . . . and a pair inside the car too? Bob Wilson
Well since no F150 comes with unbreakable glass and sledgehammer resistant metal, we will never be comparing apples to apples here, even if both products are called "trucks". Plus, I would be curious as to what the interior looks like, and what infotainment options are available. A $40,000 F150 is pretty well appointed in those areas. And when it comes down to it, most of us aren't living in a Zombie Apocalypse, trying to protect a international dignitary, or traveling through an open war zone. Not knocking the Tesla product. Once again it's a product that you could use the terms unique and groundbreaking to describe. But I doubt that it's scaring Ford or GM.
Breakable glass, of course. Unbreakable glass just means you're trapped in the car in an emergency. Also, I'll pass on the truck. I want cars that have at least a semi-decent look to them.
200,000 preorders, and quite a few of them from truck country. Gm/ford may not be scared, but if they aren’t concerned, they’re whistling past the graveyard.
Certainly a fire truck would be equipped, but how much time and effort would it take a bystander, or could an occupant escape on their own muscle. Its not easy breaking thru unbreakable glass add to that Armored / Bulletproof, it takes time, muscle, and a object with mass and a point and multiple blows and tearing. I don't think its an improvement, historically side windows doubled as escape portals.
This is pretty much the definition of FUD. Are you planning to buy one? If not, why do you care? Until the product is actually being sold, your questions have no answer. The only basis we have to draw any conclusions on is Tesla’s history or safety. That history is pretty outstanding, so I believe your ‘concerns’ are well off the mark.
Very good then. Stop assuming the worst and wait to see the safety tests on the production version. You will save yourself a lot of anxiety.
Guess you won't be getting a gen4 Prius or Prime. The front side windows of those are laminated like the windshield, so if the glass does shatter, it is held in place by the plastic layers. Emergency responders, if opening the door wasn't an option, would have to smash the window, and then cut it off at the bottom with a saw to remove it. Several other car models on the road have those or more windows, besides the windshield, laminated.
You could get thru the existing Tesla laminated glass with a hammer or equivalent (a number of blows, but you could get thru) . People have a fighting change with it, and its better then it shattering to pieces like non laminated old school tempered glass -an improvement for a number of reasons. Manufacturers have been innovating stronger side windows and that is good, BMW has one that may be too strong -not sure how its marketed. We don't need them that strong either. (special orders excepted) I have experience with products (unbreakable) 3m, Corning, and also just laminated shatter proof glass and others and I do know first hand how difficult higher standards can be to break thru -its can be very difficult and requires time and blows and tearing even with a pic axe and some near impossible. People need to be educated about the different types of glass that are showing up in car side windows. Tesla is the first (perhaps BMW) that is taking it to higher Bulletproof standards as marketed for the Cybertruck. I think my concern are especially valid as historically side windows have doubled as escape portals, add electric , add no handles, add false expectations. It creates more problems then it solves.
Is the door opening from outside fully electric like the Model S/X and Mach-E, or a manual pop out like the Model 3? I think all of them have manual opening overrides from inside. The move to other windows being laminated is because people still don't use seatbelts, and are getting ejected from cars in crashes. When kept inside during a crash, they probably aren't in a condition to be able to break any glass. Though some old guard rail end designs would curl the rail around and spear through the side window when struck head on. Don't know how effect laminated glass would be for that. So I'm not seeing much benefit to laminated side glass for more responsible people. Making the glass any tougher to get through than the tempered creates a delay, which will be magnified when people panic.
