Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ: TSLA) announced in a blog post on Sunday that the Model 3 has achieved the goal of being the safest vehicle ever built.
In the blog post, Tesla said that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) gave the Model 3 a perfect 5-star safety rating in every category and sub-category. Tests also showed that the Model 3 has the lowest probability of injury of all the vehicles the agency has tested.
In the test, NHTSA tested the Model 3 Long Range Rear-Wheel Drive as a part of its New Car Assessment Program. The program entailed a series of crash tests to test for serious bodily injury.
Previous tests from NHTSA showed that the Model S and X hold the record for the second and third lowest probabilities of injury, making Tesla vehicles the safest rated vehicles according to the agency.
Tesla said it expects similar results for other Model 3 variants and its dual-motor vehicles when results are released.
Tesla’s Model 3s achieved this rating due to its near 50/50 weight distribution also due to its extremely low polar moment of inertia, meaning its heaviest components are located closer to the vehicle’s center of gravity. The battery packs are the heaviest part of the vehicle, which are located in the center, while its rear motors are placed slightly in front of the rear axle, rather than behind it.
The design of the vehicle improves the overall agility and handling of the vehicle, but it also improves the stability control by minimizing rotational kinetic energy.
Tesla vehicles are also built with strong, rigid passenger compartments which prevent damages inside the vehicles, reduce rollover risk and distribute crash forces systematically away from the cabin.
Tesla shares were trading 0.9% higher during Monday’s pre-market hours following the announcement on Sunday.
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