1. An SUV that Enters Your Family’s Life

A car that is not merely for recreational purposes, but one that becomes a part of your life. Before discussing the Falcon Wing doors, it is important to understand why Tesla created the Model X.

For those who have a basic understanding of Tesla, they know that Tesla has a three-step strategy: first, producing a small batch of high-end cars; second, expanding the middle-class consumer market; and third, targeting the mass market with low-end cars. Model X is part of Tesla’s second step, and plays an important role in linking the past and the future.

Prior to Model X, Tesla had successfully attracted the attention of the wealthy with its sports cars. These cars boasted high-performance handling and acceleration, smooth sports car curves, competitive battery life, and an attractive environmentally-friendly halo.

So, how does Tesla go about designing its second car?

First and foremost, it must be electric and have good battery life. Second, it must have excellent performance and handling. Lastly, its appearance should be trendy. None of these three elements should be lost.

But what else is needed? A car that is not merely for recreational purposes, but one that enters your daily life.

Slowly, this car’s image becomes clearer. It is a family vehicle, with more seats than before, offering ample space and comfort while also being easy to enter and exit. It also has a lot of storage space, is electric, has high performance, and looks great.

This may immediately conjure an image of an MPV, but with a SUV exterior and performance similar to that of a sports car.

Indeed, Elon Musk once stated during the Model X’s reveal that it combines the practicality of a minivan, the style of an Audi Q7, and the performance of a sports car. The Model X incorporates the advantages of different car models into one.

It is a crossover vehicle, and, in our understanding, the first mainstream pure electric SUV.

2. The Falcon Wing Doors in Conflict

And Falcon Wing doors added a hinge at the bend, which offers the optimum advantage that the angle of the door’s fold can vary.

How does Model X resolve the potential conflicts from integrating so many features of different vehicle types?

Putting aside the power performance for the moment, let’s consider the conflict between MPVs and SUVs. It brings about two conflicts, one concerning the contrast between internal space and exterior design, the other between seat capacity and convenience in access and exit.

Similar to the outward appearance of the Q7, if using conventional doors, the SUV appears no different from ordinary SUVs as the opening angle is limited. This is unacceptable. If using sliding doors, it not only increases the opening angle of the doors but also requires some horizontal distance for the sliding door track installation. Consequently, it is easy to end up looking like an MPV, which is unacceptable.

A Falcon Wing door came into being in the collision of the desire for a wide opening angle and streamlined vehicle appearance. It solves the above problems and also brings more interesting functions. Of course, it’s cool too!

It is similar to the gull-wing door.

The most familiar gull-wing door is that of the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG.

But it has an extra hinge compared to a regular gull-wing door.

There is a hinge at the connection between the door and the car body of the gull-wing door. According to Musk, the door opens by “out” directionality, rotating on a fixed pivot during its opening process.

However, a Falcon Wing door adds a hinge at its bending point so that it opens towards the “up” direction during its vertical rise, opening slightly outward as well. The significant advantage of this design is that the angle at which the door folds is variable, making it agile to avoid obstacles in narrow spaces by configuring with the ultrasonic sensors.

A front view of the open Falcon Wing doors.

A back view of the open Falcon Wing doors.

The performance of Falcon Wing Doors in narrow spaces

The structural diagram of Falcon Wing Doors

After opened, the Falcon Wing Doors have a minimum height of 1.83 meters. People of average height can stand under the doors without bending over. In rainy or snowy weather, it can also prevent rain or snow from falling on passengers.

The second-row seats have sliding tracks. You can press the button to slide the seat forward and adjust the backrest to fold forward, which is very convenient for entering and exiting the third row. This makes it much easier for passengers.

It is electrically controlled. You can click the icon on the central control screen or press the corresponding button on the car key to control the opening and closing of the doors. The doors can also be opened manually. In the event of an accident, if the roof of the car is pressed down, the double hinge system allows the lower part of the door to be opened, providing an escape route for passengers in the back row.

In this video, you can see the demonstration of the Model X Falcon Wing Doors and other features.

Tesla also applied for a patent for the Falcon Wing Doors. In the patent issued on September 14th, 2012, you can see the angle changes of the doors during the opening process.

### 3. The Philosophy of Tesla

In an interview, the host summarized the three characteristics of Tesla’s car production: technology, fashion, and business. That is, for Tesla to make a car, it must have the most advanced technological functions, a beautiful and fashionable design, and be commercially feasible.

Tesla has improved the design of luxurious sports cars and applied it to vehicles for home use, which is a commendable behavior. At the same time, Tesla is slowly expanding the scope of its users and aiming to enter households.

On the North American Tesla fan forum, a father showed his daughter’s handwritten homework, saying that Tesla is the best car in the world! Influencing the next generation and passing it down to the next generation should be something that any brand would like to see.

However, Tesla also suffered a lot for this. In February 2012, Tesla released the Model X, and the first batch of orders did not start delivery until September 2015. The supplier Hoerbiger, which provided the Falcon Wing doors for the Model X, was sued by Tesla, citing that the company had paid Hoerbiger to develop the Falcon Wing doors used for the Model X. However, from February 2014 to May 2015, none of the prototype products produced by Hoerbiger met the standards of Tesla engineers.

In later interviews, Musk also mentioned that he would consider the opinions of R&D engineers and procurement financial departments more next time.

However, we can see from the weight of Tesla’s product decisions that Tesla has the sincerity to provide consumers with the best and most advanced products within the price range. This sincerity makes me believe that when Tesla poached the interior designer of Porsche electric sports car Mission E, it will make a difference in the interior design of the Model 3.

Outstanding manufacturers will continue to break through boundaries.

(This article is an original creation of Daji and the pictures are from the internet. Please contact the author for reprinting and indicate the source.)# A Serious Electric Vehicle Enthusiast Account

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This article is a translation by ChatGPT of a Chinese report from 42HOW. If you have any questions about it, please email bd@42how.com.