Tesla’s novel center airbag patent makes electric cars safer during crashes

Tesla’s electric vehicles are already some of the safest cars on the road, but the company remains hard at work in making sure its lineup of EVs gets even safer with each new update. An example of this was hinted at in a recently published patent application, which describes a novel system that makes the cabin of Tesla’s vehicles much more secure in the event of a collision. 

All of Tesla’s electric cars are equipped with a suite of active and passive safety features, among them being a number of airbags for the driver and the vehicle’s passengers. Airbags have long been proven to protect occupants in a crash, but as Tesla noted in its recent patent, titled “Airbag Arrangement for Protection in a Far-Side Vehicular Crash,” there are still improvements that can be made to the placement of airbags. This is especially true for vehicles like the Tesla Model X, whose second rows could be equipped with captain seats. 

While captain seats are incredibly comfortable, they usually result in gap between the seats where there is space for “excessive movement of a person in the vehicle in the event of a crash.” With this in mind, providing additional support and protection in the center space would likely improve the outcomes for passengers involved in an collision, particularly those in a far-side collision.

This is where Tela’s newly published patent application comes in. Tesla’s patent involves a pair of airbags that are designed to fill the gap between the seats of a vehicle. These airbags could be deployed in several shapes and arrangements, and could be used in different vehicle interior designs. With these airbags in place, passengers could be supported better in the event of a collision. 

Tesla describes its center airbag patent in the section below. 

“An arrangement of a pair of airbags is described herein to improve safety for occupants of a vehicle involved in a far-side crash. A pair of airbags may be deployed to fill an interior space in a vehicle to support persons in a vehicle that is involved in a side crash, particularly, a person facing a far-side crash. In general, an airbag inflating into an open space, such as an empty interior space, may have supportive limitations because the airbag may not be braced by a physical structure and can lack a reactive surface. 

“The pairs of airbags described herein may be deployed in a number of shapes and arrangements and be used in different vehicle interior designs, such as those having particular pillar designs, instrument panel shapes, seat designs and other configurations, in an interior space between vehicle seats where a single airbag may be insufficient for supporting and protecting a vehicle occupant… In some scenarios, the first airbag and the second airbag are configured to act together to support a side of the vehicle occupant on a near side of the crash so that the person is contained from the other person facing the far-side crash.”

Tesla’s recently published center airbag patent shows once more that the electric car maker is a company that simply does not stay still. Despite its vehicle lineup already being among the safest cars on the road, the company is still hard at work in developing new ways to keep passengers safe in the event of a crash. Until the full advent of Full Self-Driving cars, vehicular accidents are still bound to happen, and for Tesla, it just makes sense to ensure that its cars can protect their occupants in the most effective way possible. 

Thanks to their all-electric construction, all of Tesla’s electric cars are equipped with large crumple zones that absorb the impact of a collision. The robust frames of Tesla’s cars are also durable, being capable of protecting passengers even in otherwise severe crashes. Even the Model 3’s glass roof, which gives the all-electric sedan a wide, airy feel inside the cabin, is strong, with the IIHS’ recent tests concluding that the component could stand up to 20,000 lbs of force.

The full text of Tesla’s novel center airbag patent could be accessed here.

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