Tesla has been putting its cars through some extreme weather testing to ensure their durability in brutal temperatures.
The company recently released a video of its extreme heat testing, showing that its cars can operate in the most intense environmental conditions. Tesla published the video on its YouTube channel, putting the company's United Arab Emirates-based engineering team in the spotlight.
The video shows the Tesla team driving the vehicles on roads and over sand dunes — in temperatures that exceeded 120 degrees Fahrenheit — and explaining the details of the testing process.
Every day, the engineers drove in the desert between about 150 and 250 miles to stress test the car. The process consists of charging the vehicle numerous times, using the A/C as much as possible, testing numerous features of the vehicle, keeping it in the sun for a long time, and driving it up mountains and on curvy roads.
In the clip, Tesla's field technical specialist, Matthew, explains, "We are here right now in UAE because it is the worst time to be in UAE. It's the hottest time of the year … You cannot go outside in midday sun. You will burn. It's just too hot … but it's a great time to test the car."
Tesla's testing video shows just how strong and durable its cars can be.
As electric vehicles (EVs) continue to become more efficient, safe, and cost-effective, it's likely that their popularity will keep rising, and they'll continue to replace the traditional gas-guzzling vehicles that increase air pollution and can lead to serious health issues.
In the United States, one of the world's leading sources of planet-warming air pollution, the transportation industry produces almost 30% of all harmful carbon polution.
Globally, the transportation industry represents about 23% of total pollution worldwide. Meanwhile, the United Nations has stated that "by achieving a 60% share of battery-electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles on the road, more than 60 billion tons of [harmful carbon gases] could be saved between now and 2050."
One commenter in Phoenix, Arizona, expressed his satisfaction with the Tesla test drive, writing on the website Teslarati: "My initial fear was that the glass roof and battery will have trouble in the extreme heat. None of that happened. The AC [a Tesla Model Y] is extremely powerful, and preconditioning works like [a] champ."
The EV brand has also tested its vehicles for the extreme cold. The video shows stress tests in Norway during the winter.
Meanwhile, unofficial Tesla cold-weather experiments were covered by the news site CleanTechnica, as well.
The article showed a tweet by Tesla driver Mikey Likes (@mliebow) that said, "I was in traffic heading home and got stuck due to the snowstorm. I ended up stuck in traffic for 16 hours! … I was initially at 74% … and when I was able to get home, I was around 61%. It was a nightmare … but I'm glad I was stuck in my Tesla."
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