Tesla recently took to its archives and shared a video of how the Model X got its wings, and it wasn’t by way of Red Bull, though the engineers likely had some very late nights during the design process. The Model X wouldn’t be what it is without its signature Falcon Wing doors, but they did cause Tesla all sorts of issues early on.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk might be the first to admit that the Model X should go on a long list of the electric automaker’s early blunders. The Falcon Wing doors likely seemed they were more work than their worth, especially in the early stages of the engineering process. While it took Tesla plenty of time to get the bugs worked it, we don’t often hear of issues with the innovative doors today, and it’s honestly amazing to watch them work their magic.
The Tesla Model S and Model X don’t sell well compared to the newer Model 3 and Model Y, but they still outsell many EV rivals. Moreover, they’re definitely icons for the EV maker that many folks expected would go bankrupt long before the more affordable EVs ever came to market.
As time goes on, Tesla, Musk, and the company’s team members may look back at the Model X with some regrets, but they should also be proud of how far the company has come, with great emphasis on accomplishments like Model X’s Falcon Wing doors.
As you can see in the video above, Tesla strapped some early Falcon Wing door prototypes to a Model S to figure out how they were going to work. The video then switches to a new Model X with the actual doors in action.
If you haven’t seen a Model X in the real world or watched videos of how the doors work, we’re here to tell you it’s quite fascinating. As explained by Tesla in the tweet above, there are special sensors in the doors that detect obstacles so that they won’t hit garage walls, doors, roofs, or other cars.
The Falcon Wing doors have multiple joints that allow them to open and close in such a way that the electric SUV can handle being parked in tight spots without concern. Tesla also adds that the doors make it easy to access the third-row seats, even if there are kid car seats in the second row.
Years ago, Musk showed off how the Falcon Wing doors open in tight parking spots.
Since then, several Tesla owners and reviewers have also demonstrated how the doors work. It seems based on the video below that the mechanism has been significantly improved over time.
