Tesla
- Five tornados struck southern Ontario on Thursday, injuring eight people and damaging property.
- One EF2 twister was caught on video by the sentry mode camera of a Tesla Model X.
- A Reddit user shared the clip of the moment and photos of the exterior damage to the car.
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Go ahead and add tornados to the list of "suspicious motions" that will trigger Tesla's Sentry Mode.
Last Thursday, during a rash of summer storms near the southern Ontario city of Barrie, one EF2 twister touched down near the parking lot of some local businesses.
The driver's-side camera of a Tesla Model X captured the moment that the storm tore through the lot, scattering debris and dragging cars across the pavement.
"The car took a beating but is still driveable, so we can't complain," said owner u/VanillaGorilla, who shared the clip on Reddit and said his wife had been running errands with the car when the storm hit.
Many commenters on the Reddit thread noted that the Model X's 5,500-pound curb weight likely helped the car stay in firmly place while others around it were shoved around by winds that likely exceeded 110 miles per hour.
A day after sharing the video, u/VanillaGorilla posted a gallery of photos showing the exterior damage the Tesla sustained from flying debris.
"The paint is pretty scuffed up pretty bad and a few dents, but it survived pretty well compared to other cars in the parking lot," he said.
Most of the panels on the car are badly scratched, a few are dented, and one mirror cover is missing, but the condition is much cleaner than one might expect for a car that survived the conditions shown in the video.
"The passenger side repeater captured about half a dozen getting windows smashed or being blown in to the vehicle next to it," u/VanillaGorilla said.
The tornado was one of five that hit the area that afternoon, according to local media, which reported that eight people were hospitalized and 25 buildings were significantly damaged.
"Seeing the photos of what it did to to homes in the area, I'd rather be in the Tesla than a house," u/VanillaGorilla said.