A Tesla Model X was caught in a passing tornado, and it not only survived it, but it also filmed the whole thing on Tesla’s Sentry mode.
Statistically speaking, tornadoes are fairly rare.
They form about 1,000 times per year in the US, and in Canada, they happen roughly 100 times per year.
However, the US National Weather Service has noted a significant upward trend in recent years, which some are trying to link to climate change.
Yesterday, there was a major tornado outbreak in Barrie, Ontario, resulting in nine injuries and about 5 kilometers of damages, but fortunately, no one died.
The tornado received a preliminary EF-2 rating, with maximum wind speeds of 210 km/h (130 mph).
A Tesla Model X managed to capture some impressive footage of the tornado passing right over the electric car.
The vehicle is equipped with Tesla’s Sentry Mode, which detects movement around the vehicle using Tesla’s suite of Autopilot cameras and records for safety.
In this case, it recorded several objects flying around and onto the car in the tornado:
As you can see, the force of the tornado was even able to move cars around the Model X.
The Model X, which weighs 2,459 kg (5,421 lbs), didn’t move at all during the incident. Its low center of gravity, thanks to its battery pack mounted at the bottom of the car, and heavier weight likely helped.
It’s also what helps Tesla’s Model X achieve some of the world’s highest safety ratings.
Here’s another angle from another camera on the Tesla vehicle that shows other vehicles crashing onto each other due to the tornado:
The owner of the Model X noted that the vehicle was pretty banged up from debris hitting the body panels, but it was still driveable.
Their insurance company is expected to cover the damages.
Here’s footage of the same tornado but from a distance:
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