A Tesla was among the vehicles caught in the path of a tornado during a severe weather event, with the storm picking up the electric car and carrying it a significant distance before depositing it in a field — an incident that illustrated both the destructive capacity of tornadic winds and the structural limits of even well-built modern vehicles under extreme conditions.
What Happened
The vehicle was parked when the tornado passed through the area. The storm’s winds were sufficient to lift the Tesla’s considerable weight — Model 3 and Model Y vehicles weigh well over 4,000 pounds given their battery packs — and carry it some distance. The Tesla’s weight, which makes it heavier than comparable combustion vehicles, did not protect it from being moved by the tornado.
EVs and Severe Weather
The incident briefly surfaced questions about how electric vehicles respond to extreme weather events. A tornado treats a vehicle’s weight and construction as variables in a physics problem that severe enough wind speed simply overrides. The damaged Tesla’s battery pack condition after the incident also became a point of discussion given the specific concerns associated with high-voltage battery damage and fire risk following severe vehicle impacts.
The Broader Storm Damage
The Tesla was one of many vehicles and structures affected by the storm system. Its presence in the damage documentation attracted outsized attention relative to other vehicles simply because of the brand’s visibility and the novelty of seeing an EV in tornado debris footage. The more consequential story was the broader property damage and any injuries sustained by people in the storm’s path.
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