Tesla Model X pullin a semi truck in snow.

KeithP

Diamond Member
Jun 15, 2000
5,659
198
106
It looks to me that the truck is under its own power. The Tesla is just providing a little extra pull. Given the right tires, I am sure a lot of vehicles on the road could have accomplished the same task.

-KeithP
 
  • Like
Reactions: pcgeek11

ChronoReverse

Platinum Member
Mar 4, 2004
2,562
31
91
It honestly doesn't seem very impressive to me. From the title I was expecting a semi in the ditch and the Tesla pulling it out.

With all the wheel-spinning, the Tesla isn't even contributing that much.
 

pcgeek11

Lifer
Jun 12, 2005
21,268
4,402
136
Just barely enough added pull.... barely. Any 4 wheel drive vehicle should be able to do the same with good tires.
 

zerocool84

Lifer
Nov 11, 2004
36,041
472
126
It looks to me that the truck is under its own power. The Tesla is just providing a little extra pull. Given the right tires, I am sure a lot of vehicles on the road could have accomplished the same task.

-KeithP
And that's exactly true, it's just helping, basically any car would have helped.
 

bigi

Platinum Member
Aug 8, 2001
2,482
153
106
Yea, but none of those are uphill. Like the horses though.
 

BurnItDwn

Lifer
Oct 10, 1999
26,066
1,550
126
The horses are indeed impressive, I was gonna post similar to Viper GTS link, Subarus have been pulling semis out of ice/slick spots for years. The limiting factor is traction, so winter tires + awd or 4wd = good at pulling heavy thing out of being stuck.
 

LOUISSSSS

Diamond Member
Dec 5, 2005
8,771
54
91
not impressive, the model x isn't known for its great 4wd system, nor do they come with anything better than AS tires for winter use. a jeep wrangler or a wrx coulda done the same.

model x towing capacity is Max 5000 lbs. the X5/X6 can tow up to 6000 lbs.
 

bigi

Platinum Member
Aug 8, 2001
2,482
153
106
not impressive, the model x isn't known for its great 4wd system, nor do they come with anything better than AS tires for winter use. a jeep wrangler or a wrx coulda done the same.

model x towing capacity is Max 5000 lbs. the X5/X6 can tow up to 6000 lbs.

Wrong, irrelevant and morbid.

Tesla X, and any properly created EV propulsion for that matter, can't be really judged in term of any antiquated 4WD system as it does not have any of old technology shortcomings. There are no shafts, torque converters and clutches that lose time switching among themselves to transfer what's left of the torque. Milliseconds matter when you are uphill on ice.
You know why horses shown above are impressive? Because horses preform much better than slipping mechanical ICE technology - as shown in video. Wheels with tiny point of contact and terrible latency aren't there.

ICE 4WD is just too primitive and tardy to address this. Every slip, if ever detected in such system, takes orders of magnitude longer to be addressed by the system.

Electric motors, not only in Tesla model X but also in S and now Model 3, can deal with it fine.

If visuals help, watch this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eObSjtU6YXc especially at 1:10.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8U3tiw2J6LQ shows the whole point in slow motion for those who give a button.

You have the right not to be impressed which is understandable based on your level of knowledge apparently. Wrangler, WRX, towing capacity?. Wow.

I can strongly assume you ain't impressed with AlphaGo as well. That's okay. It will do without you fine.
 

momeNt

Diamond Member
Jan 26, 2011
9,297
352
126
Depends on the track style and quantity ...
Older sleds with mediocre tracks will often get stuck in a couple feet of powder even without pulling anything.
rdo-2016-0402-01291_web.jpg
 

mindless1

Diamond Member
Aug 11, 2001
8,028
1,440
126
Wrong, irrelevant and morbid.

Tesla X, and any properly created EV propulsion for that matter, can't be really judged in term of any antiquated 4WD system as it does not have any of old technology shortcomings.

Strange delusion, considering ICE tow vehicles have been up to the task for decades.

There are no shafts, torque converters and clutches that lose time switching among themselves to transfer what's left of the torque.

There is no loss of torque issue, mainly how much traction the tires achieve. If anything the driver couldn't modulate the torque well at all, based on the tire spin.

Milliseconds matter when you are uphill on ice.

Not much. Winter tires matter uphill on ice, thought that wasn't ice, and you're wrong about milliseconds. ICE vehicles have had millisecond sensing for years and less rotational wheel weight to reign in.

Plus any reduction of wheel spin on the tesla is necessarily the wheel reducing torque, except it's the opposite, your whole argument falls apart when you see in the video that it was continually spinning its tires.

In short, any random 20 year old clunker 4x4 SUV with winter tires would've gotten that semi up the hill very slight incline faster, and would've been better suited to winter tow patrol due to more ground clearance.

Most AWD ICE sedans of equal weight and same tires would've done about the same if you just threw enough weight in the trunk to equal the X's greater weight on the rear wheels.

This is a different situation than non-towing, taking off on a straightaway where momentum can be achieved with minimal traction loss.
 
Last edited: