11–20 of 30 posts
I imagine its a fair-weather solution. Raining? Everybody gets wet when anybody gets in or out. Kids in the back? They scatter before you can get out. How about arm rests? My Mom is 82, and uses the door to help get in and out. Any controls on the door? How would that work? Wiring would have to be creative. And forget about map pockets.
I imagine its a fair-weather solution. Raining? Everybody gets wet when anybody gets in or out. Kids in the back? They scatter before you can get out. How about arm rests? My Mom is 82, and uses the door to help get in and out. Any controls on the door? How would that work? Wiring would have to be creative. And forget about map pockets.
All of this for a solution which provides zero-to-marginal benefits over a normal car door. I don't understand the appeal. It seems to me that almost every industrial designer I've ever met has a dream of re-inventing the world's commonly used objects (doors, umbrellas, mousetraps, etc.) - an obsession so strong that they usually ignore the object's common use cases and completely neglect cost-benefit analyses for the sake of cleverness.
So, umm, how do I get in if the battery is dead to open the hood and jump the car?
Maybe there'll be a place to use your key that lets gravity take the door out of the way.
Well, we can complicate that for you.
So, umm, how do I get in if the battery is dead to open the hood and jump the car?
Good question. Can't put a lever on the outside without making it likelier that criminals can open your hood. You can't do it with your remote. Maybe there'll be a place to use your key that lets gravity take the door out of the way.
8,000 BMW Z1s were made with this type of door: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BMW_Z1 Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sliding_door_(vehicle)#Vertical...
But this (from the wiki page) was interesting:
"The windows may be operated independently of the doors, although they do retract automatically if the door is lowered. Both the window and door are driven by electric motors through toothed rubber belts and may be moved manually in an emergency.[6]"
That could apply to any installation of this kind of door, actually -- if your battery is dead, you have to use a keyhole to unlock the door, then you could manually push down the window & then door structure. If they are well counter-balanced with weights or springs, etc. (as they should be to avoid wasting energy in normal use) and the motor doesn't cause much drag, that would be a bit awkward-looking, but not too hard.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Good question. Can't put a lever on the outside without making it likelier that criminals can open your hood. You can't do it with your remote. Maybe there'll be a place to use your key that lets gravity take the door out of the way.
But it looks like the window has to roll down first to avoid damage. It looks to me like out of power, out of luck.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Good question. Can't put a lever on the outside without making it likelier that criminals can open your hood. You can't do it with your remote. Maybe there'll be a place to use your key that lets gravity take the door out of the way.
But it looks like the window has to roll down first to avoid damage. It looks to me like out of power, out of luck.
I guess they'll just have to put a lock on the hood that unlocks with your key.
So, umm, how do I get in if the battery is dead to open the hood and jump the car?
Good question. Can't put a lever on the outside without making it likelier that criminals can open your hood. You can't do it with your remote. Maybe there'll be a place to use your key that lets gravity take the door out of the way.
Are you saying that a regular door handle makes it more likely that a criminal will open your door, so that's a problem with standard car doors as well?
Not that the door design is perfect, but there's no reason they can't:
- put a door handle on the outside, along with a keyhole (or possibly just a fingertip-lip on the window?)
- ...which would allow you to slide the window & door along their tracks manually if needed.
If you've ever had a powered garage door, it's more or less the same thing; sometimes the power will be out, so you have to be able to tug it up anyway (with a bit of extra drag from the motor, but hey, it's on springs so it's not too heavy).