The panoramic glass roof on the Tesla Model 3 is extremely strong, able to hold the weight of two full-grown elephants. But as one Model 3 owner recently found out, it was no match for a hailstorm in Alberta, and it was all captured on camera from inside the car as it happened.
The unfortunate owner is Russ Osborne, who was travelling along the Queen Elizabeth Highway just south of Red Deer earlier this month. Osborne says he, along with about 70 other vehicles, were caught in the middle of what can only be described as a “massive hail storm.” The video shows that may be an understatement.
For more than 50 seconds we can see, and hear, the Model 3 getting pummeled by massive pieces of hail. The windshield and glass roof shatter with each successive hit, sending shards of glass throughout the cabin. To his credit Osborne stayed remarkably calm while his Tesla was being destroyed.
After turning off the camera Osborne crawled into the back seat and tried to stay under the cross beam, just in case the glass roof gave in. But it didn’t. Osborne said it “held up like a champ [and] took an absolute beating.”
When it was all over the glass roof was shattered and water can be seen pouring into the cabin.
The outside is even worse. The car is covered in dents, both headlights are shattered, and the driver’s side mirror cap was destroyed. Even parts of the car you might not think would be damaged, like the side repeater camera and the charge port door were also destroyed.
It goes without saying that the Model 3 was a complete loss, but more importantly Osborne escaped uninjured.
If you can stomach it, you can watch all three videos below.
