• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

How Tesla’s Huge Crumple Zone Just Saved 5 Lives

By
David Z. Morris
David Z. Morris
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
David Z. Morris
David Z. Morris
Down Arrow Button Icon
May 8, 2016, 11:59 AM ET
<h1>2013 Tesla Model S</h1>
Battery-powered.  265-mile range.  Starts at around $52,000.  89 mpg equivalent.
<h1>2013 Tesla Model S</h1> Battery-powered. 265-mile range. Starts at around $52,000. 89 mpg equivalent.Courtesy: Tesla Motors, Inc.

In 2013, the Tesla Model S was given the best NHTSA safety rating of any car, ever. Today, five teenagers are really, really happy about that.

On May 4, Germany’s Merkur reports, an 18-year-old woman took her father’s Model 700 PS out for a drive in Germany’s Icking region, with four friends on board. The car was traveling at excessive speeds when the driver lost control in a left-hand turn, veering off the right side of the road and hitting a ramp formed by an embankment.

Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s technology newsletter.

The car executed a full barrel roll, landing back on four wheels in a nearby field. According to the website Electrek, it traveled more than 80 feet through the air.

Amazingly, the five passengers were able to exit the vehicle under their own power, though they had sustained injuries that were, according to Merkur, “serious but not life-threatening.” At least two of the passengers were flown to Munich by helicopter for treatment.

As Elon Musk has explained, one of the major advantages of a Model S in a crash is the lack of a front-mounted gasoline engine, which leaves the front of the car as a huge crumple zone. Photos of the Icking crash, viewable at Merkur, show the front of the vehicle almost totally crushed, suggesting that the nose hit the ground first, and had that nose been full of engine, the outcome for the passengers could have been much worse.

For more on Tesla, watch our video.

The Model 3, Tesla’s upcoming, hugely anticipated mid-budget sedan, will have the same so-called “frunk”—front trunk—design.

About the Author
By David Z. Morris
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
Fortune Secondary Logo
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in

A woman sits in front of a laptop with her hands on her face.
AICareers
Gen Z is paying the price for lack of experience as AI takes their jobs. Older workers are safe—for now, Dallas Fed warns
By Jacqueline MunisMarch 4, 2026
13 minutes ago
Healthpalantir
Palantir and other tech companies are stocking offices with tobacco products to increase worker productivity
By Catherina GioinoMarch 4, 2026
15 minutes ago
Personal FinanceReal Estate
Current ARM mortgage rates report for March 4, 2026
By Glen Luke FlanaganMarch 4, 2026
19 minutes ago
Personal FinanceReal Estate
Current refi mortgage rates report for March 4, 2026
By Glen Luke FlanaganMarch 4, 2026
19 minutes ago
Personal Financemortgages
Mortgage rates today, March 4, 2026
By Glen Luke FlanaganMarch 4, 2026
19 minutes ago
Man in a black leather jacket gesturing with his hands.
Big TechNvidia
Warren Buffett complained for decades that boosting profits by excluding exec stock comp was ‘cynical’—Nvidia just surprised Wall Street and agreed
By Amanda GerutMarch 4, 2026
20 minutes ago

Most Popular

placeholder alt text
Economy
Interest on the $38.8 trillion national debt has tripled since 2020, and it already costs taxpayers more than defense and Medicaid
By Nick LichtenbergMarch 2, 2026
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Middle East
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard controls a sprawling business empire that dominates the economy
By Jason MaMarch 2, 2026
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Personal Finance
Current price of silver as of Tuesday, March 3, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerMarch 3, 2026
18 hours ago
placeholder alt text
Personal Finance
Current price of gold as of March 2, 2026
By Danny BakstMarch 2, 2026
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Middle East
U.S. military gives Iran a taste of its own medicine with cheap copycat Shahed drones, while concern shifts to munitions supply in extended conflict
By Jason MaMarch 1, 2026
3 days ago
placeholder alt text
AI
American schools weren’t broken until Silicon Valley used a lie to convince them they were—now reading and math scores are plummeting
By Sasha RogelbergMarch 1, 2026
3 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.