A new video making the rounds on Reddit showcases a quick thinking Model X driver take advantage of his vehicle’s instant torque to narrowly avoid a serious rear-end collision in stop-and-go traffic. While the instant torque that electric cars offer is often brought up when discussing raw acceleration and that crazy feeling you get when you jump from 0-60 in a heartbeat, the video below helps illustrate how instant torque can also help prevent accidents.
In the video below, the Model X in question is white and is located on lane to the right of the car that filmed the incident. As the video plays out, we see an SUV rear-end a black car (said to be a Nissan), which then runs into another black car (a BMW), which then accelerates towards the white Model X. The Model X driver, though, employs cat-like reflexes and manages to stomp on the gas and accelerate forward and out of harm’s way in the nick of time.
It’s hard to make out from the video, but the Model X — which was driven by Maaz Jilani — was grazed ever so slightly. Leaving a comment on Electrek, Jilani notes: ” …Yeah I did try to sprint away but unfortunately it very touched me barley. The black plastic part has two screw indentations, so it’s extremely minimal damage. It could have been much worse if I hadn’t accelerated.”
While we’ve seen Tesla’s Autopilot feature avoid accidents before, Jilani also chimed in on YouTube and indicated that the feature was disengaged at the time of the incident.
“I took it off,” Jilani said, “because I was planning on taking an exit off the freeway within a mile or so.”
Interestingly enough, this video isn’t the first time we’ve see a Tesla vehicle take advantage of its instant torque to avoid a collision, as evidenced by the video below.
