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Surprising Science

Elon Musk is the Concerned Dad in Every Car Commercial

He just wants the best for humanity.
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Elon Musk wants to make sure humanity lives and lives better. His whole legacy is built around the idea of making the world a better place. His missions to convert every home to solar and colonize Mars are a testament to his dedication. Musk has taken another step to preserve human life: Meet Model X, a Tesla SUV built to defend its passengers from a biological attack.




Inside the car is a bioweapon defense button in the dash display, which Musk says “gives you hospital-level air quality” when the mode is activated. It pumps up the Model X’s HEPA air filter to maximum, which Musk says is strong enough to rid any toxins from a bioweapon.

The Model X not only protects your loved ones against biological incidents, but also protects against the standard car crash. Musk boasted in the announcement that the Model X has a five-star crash test rating… if there was a sixth star, the Model X would get it.

When it comes to front-end crashes, it’s simple calculation of force over distance. The Model X has no gas engine, which, in standard cars, can get pushed into the passenger cabin. The Model X, therefore, has a higher “crumple zone” to absorb and distribute the force of the impact. Musk joked, “It’s the difference between jumping into a pool or a pool with a rock in it, so…” 

When it came to the side-pole impact test, the same results held true, beating (what was) the highest-rated SUV.

See the results for yourself:



Likewise, probability of rollover is reduced; and probability of death is reduced from crashes and from inhaling toxic emissions.

Check out the full announcement here.

Natalie has been writing professionally for about 6 years. After graduating from Ithaca College with a degree in Feature Writing, she snagged a job at PCMag.com where she had the opportunity to review all the latest consumer gadgets. Since then she has become a writer for hire, freelancing for various websites. In her spare time, you may find her riding her motorcycle, reading YA novels, hiking, or playing video games. Follow her on Twitter: @nat_schumaker

Photo Credit: Justin Sullivan / Getty Staff

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