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Johan
Ex got M3 in the divorce, waiting for EU Model Y!
Good observation. Perhaps the FWD will recognize the snow having fallen and, as you approach, quickly flap up and down several times at an abnormally rapid pace, thereby creating turbulent airflow that clears the snow from the front part of the car, allowing the front doors to automatically open out to greet the driver ("like an invisible chauffeur") without snow entering the interior of the car.
(Yes if you can't tell I also question the auto openingen front doors, seems like over engineering to me).
I'm sure that'll be an option in the menu, not mandatory, so turn it off during the winter. That's a good idea.
KJennerator
Member
In my experience it is illegal to leave snow on the roof of your car while you drive. I have been pulled over for this. Therefore, you should be cleaning the snow off before you go anywhere.
MrBigSmiles
Member
I'm sure Elon has some sort of defroster lining integrated into the top of the vehicle to prevent snow from accumulating at the rooftop of the X.
Gulwing Doors & Snow Cover
Not an issue. But you can continue to maintain that it is a serious issue if you wish.
The smart X owner will disable the auto drivers door open function in the winter. If they don't, the first time that door auto opens with snow on the roof they will remember to turn off that function.
Not an issue. But you can continue to maintain that it is a serious issue if you wish.
sounds like an idea someone who has never lived where it snows would come up with.
This would just create a giant layer of ice under the snow.
I'm curious how falcon-wing doors will function in snow. I'm rather sure Tesla has not tested them completely, based on a fact that they are still (according to Elon) fine tuning things like door seals. If they are still fine tuning doors they have not been able to test final design in winter.
In traditional door you wipe snow out from door frame area before you open the door. Doing so will prevent snow falling inside the car. You don't have any problems closing the door, because you close the door manually and there is no snow or ice between door and door frame.
How this works in falcon-wing doors? You have to at least wipe the whole door area from snow. If you don't do this, snow will fall inside the car when you open it. But even if you do this, I'm afraid that if some snow or ice still gets between door's joints it will prevent the door from closing completely.
What are your thoughts? And please don't respond "Tesla has tested this". They have not, because the final design has not been ready until maybe few days (if it even is ready now).
In traditional door you wipe snow out from door frame area before you open the door. Doing so will prevent snow falling inside the car. You don't have any problems closing the door, because you close the door manually and there is no snow or ice between door and door frame.
How this works in falcon-wing doors? You have to at least wipe the whole door area from snow. If you don't do this, snow will fall inside the car when you open it. But even if you do this, I'm afraid that if some snow or ice still gets between door's joints it will prevent the door from closing completely.
What are your thoughts? And please don't respond "Tesla has tested this". They have not, because the final design has not been ready until maybe few days (if it even is ready now).
I don't now how it's in other country but in Sweden it's not legel to drive the car with snow on the roof. If you think of how the roof it's shaped on a Model X it's not hard to think that if you drive with snow on the roof, you have heat on in the car and you stop fast all the snow on the roof could slide down over the front window wish make it hard to see forward. I can give you one tip, clean the roof from snow before you drive the Model X or any other car.
Laws may vary from state to state in the US, but here in Washington State I see cars with snow on the roof all the time. It rarely snows where we live (about once a year), but the hills get up over 400 m around here and often get snow when we just get rain.
The OP's question is a good one. They may have done some simulated experiments indoors with a snow maker, and/or went up to the Sierra Nevada Mountains in the winter. Though last winter was the driest on record for California, so there was little snow to experience. Light powdery snow probably wouldn't be a serious problem mechanically, though it probably would fall inside the car as the doors opened if you didn't brush it off first. Heavy wet snow could stress the opening mechanism quite a bit. The area to collect snow that would move when the door opens isn't that large though.
I grew up in California and have lived at lower altitudes in Washington State since the late 80s. My total cumulative experience with driving in snow is probably less than those of you from Scandinavia have experienced in one winter, but I did end up bending the key to my trunk once when I tried to open the trunk with six inches of wet snow on it. I learned to appreciate how heavy wet snow can be.
This may be an area where Tesla being a California company is at a disadvantage. Some of the design team are probably from snowy parts of the world, but where Tesla has it's design and production offices, snow is so rare, the designers may not have thought it completely through.
In all probability, it's possible to get problematic amounts of snow in the doors joints, but I don't think it will be a huge issue. Preheat the car from your phone 15 minutes before you leave, brush the snow off, and everything will be fine. In any case, it's only a problem if you haven't parked under a roof, and it's snowed while the car has been parked. Most people who can afford a Model X will probably have a garage or carport, at least in northern Europe, which means it's for the most part only an issue if you are away from home.
There's no roof where I park at work, but I do it so rarely that over the course of a winter season, the car gets snow on it maybe once. (I usually walk to work.) All the shopping malls around hare have multi-storey parking, so they aren't an issue. Maybe it'll happen once or twice at superchargers, at friends' houses, etc.
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Norway is one of Tesla's major markets. After over three years of Model S production, don't you think that Tesla engineering is aware of the need to extensively test new mechanical designs in harsh winter climates? I am sure they are fully aware by now of what snow and ice are and how they effect their products.
CmdrThor
Active Member
You should search before starting a new thread. http://www.teslamotorsclub.com/showthread.php/43657-Gulwing-Doors-Snow-Cover?highlight=Falcon+snow
There are also several other threads discussing the topic.
There are also several other threads discussing the topic.
Krugerrand
Meow
I'm going to need an official source before I believe your 'They have not...'. In the meantime I'll respond, Tesla has (quite likely) tested this regardless of them (fiddling) with the design, the seals etc... during the (partially) intended delay of the release of the X.
Additionally, people have been asking this question for years. It was actually recently answered by Tesla. Can't remember when, but I'm pretty sure the question was asked of Elon and the answer was: if there's a good amount of snow on the roof, brush it off, otherwise you'll get snowed on and get snow in the vehicle just like you would with any other vehicle when opening doors/hatches/trunks/hoods. And if there's a large amount of snow on the roof, the falcon doors will be impeded from opening because of the inability to compress the snow between them on the small amount of roof that remains when the doors are opened.
Further, like pretty much every other car door - if circumstances are just right - you'll sometimes get a door that won't close OR open due to icing/piece of ice falling into a hinge. I believe it was mentioned by Tesla that there will be some sort of heating/defrost mechanism for the door hinges.
To anyone who believes or thinks that the doors won't be able to handle wind, rain or snow, I would challenge you to look at the pictures of the door sills, study the motion of the doors (especially how it initially pops open) and the sensors that are in the door as well as around the door. These all add up to a very well thought out design that not only satisfies these environmental conditions, but should accel in that you solve some basic issues with respect to current style doors.
Snow: Arriving at the car after a foot of snow I would assume that when the door opens that some snow will fall into the cabin and on the sill. This should only happen for dry snow, which compresses easily and shouldn't accumulate in a manner on the sill which will cause the door to not seal or close properly or otherwise fail to close.
Rain: Even on a slope, rain should accumulate in the sill and be directed to away from the cabin, but would assume that even when covered by the door that some rain will get in to the cabin. I am making the assumption that less would get in than a conventional door
Wind: I'm assuming that the doors will open and close without issue in windy conditions. Operation and functionality is much better than conventional doors that fly open and close in wind.
Snow: Arriving at the car after a foot of snow I would assume that when the door opens that some snow will fall into the cabin and on the sill. This should only happen for dry snow, which compresses easily and shouldn't accumulate in a manner on the sill which will cause the door to not seal or close properly or otherwise fail to close.
Rain: Even on a slope, rain should accumulate in the sill and be directed to away from the cabin, but would assume that even when covered by the door that some rain will get in to the cabin. I am making the assumption that less would get in than a conventional door
Wind: I'm assuming that the doors will open and close without issue in windy conditions. Operation and functionality is much better than conventional doors that fly open and close in wind.
Will be waiting to watch that video of wind, rain and snow with falcon wings by Bjorn and friends. Instant classic!
