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Nearly 3M Teslas recalled in China over hidden door handles

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Re: Nearly 3M Teslas recalled in China over hidden door handles

#11
post #10

Good move. There's an interesting old article on the door handles here: > https://medium.com/@arunchidambaram/is-teslas-door-handle-an... In aerodynamic terms, door handles are nbd compared to side mirrors. Mirrors account for 6% of a car's aerodynamic drag. Door handles: roughly 0.2%. Basically they make no difference -- their effect is a rounding error -- and they were implemented for form-over-function style point…

What i hear is that electric door handle is more of a manufacturing cost-saving measure than an aerodynamic saving.

Isn't it only the Model S that has those electric door handles that pop out on their own? And the cheaper Model 3 has hidden ones that you pop out yourself.

Re: Nearly 3M Teslas recalled in China over hidden door handles

#12

From a more accessible article: > BEIJING, Aug 21 (Reuters) - Tesla and eight other automakers said on Friday they will recall a total of about 4.3 million vehicles in China over concerns that doors may be difficult to open in an emergency, marking the country's largest automotive recall. > Tesla's remedy includes warning labels and an update delivered remotely that automatically lowers vehicle windows after a collis…

> that automatically lowers vehicle windows after a collision I wonder how long until people figure out that tapping the bumper of a parked tesla opens all the windows, letting people either steal the infotainment screen, or the whole car...

Even in the US it's nearly impossible to steal a Tesla. In China with their omnipresent surveillance it would be suicidal to try.

Re: Nearly 3M Teslas recalled in China over hidden door handles

#13
post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What i hear is that electric door handle is more of a manufacturing cost-saving measure than an aerodynamic saving.

Isn't it only the Model S that has those electric door handles that pop out on their own? And the cheaper Model 3 has hidden ones that you pop out yourself.

That's correct but the interior door handles are electronic buttons. When you pull the exterior handle, during the time when you pull the handle the car also lowers the windows so the door can open.

Re: Nearly 3M Teslas recalled in China over hidden door handles

#14

From a more accessible article: > BEIJING, Aug 21 (Reuters) - Tesla and eight other automakers said on Friday they will recall a total of about 4.3 million vehicles in China over concerns that doors may be difficult to open in an emergency, marking the country's largest automotive recall. > Tesla's remedy includes warning labels and an update delivered remotely that automatically lowers vehicle windows after a collis…

> that automatically lowers vehicle windows after a collision I wonder how long until people figure out that tapping the bumper of a parked tesla opens all the windows, letting people either steal the infotainment screen, or the whole car...

To detect impacts cars typically use sensors that require the entire car to experience significant acceleration, tapping the car definitely won’t do it.

Re: Nearly 3M Teslas recalled in China over hidden door handles

#15

Hidden door handles, button open doors when inside the car, only touch screen buttons, rear red turn signal lights. Reverse these trends. They all suck and unsafe. Ok the rear red turn signal lights were already a trend in the US before Tesla. But please reverse this too. It's very difficult to see blinking red lights on the freeway when it's sunny. For you people out there who buy cars with red blinking signal light…

It's almost like an EV should be regular car with a battery

Re: Nearly 3M Teslas recalled in China over hidden door handles

#16

Hidden door handles, button open doors when inside the car, only touch screen buttons, rear red turn signal lights. Reverse these trends. They all suck and unsafe. Ok the rear red turn signal lights were already a trend in the US before Tesla. But please reverse this too. It's very difficult to see blinking red lights on the freeway when it's sunny. For you people out there who buy cars with red blinking signal light…

Allowing Silicon Valley dorks to redefine the established UIs of cars was one of the biggest mistakes of the last 10 years. Ultimately it's cost shaving, but it spread like a cancer to other manufacturers owing mostly to a TikTok-brained customer base (to their own detriment).

It's one of the reasons I refuse to own a new car. Zero reason to hide critical controls behind a touch screen.

My daily driver has all tactile controls. I can operate wipers, climate, radio, and all critical functions blindfolded.

Re: Nearly 3M Teslas recalled in China over hidden door handles

#17

From a more accessible article: > BEIJING, Aug 21 (Reuters) - Tesla and eight other automakers said on Friday they will recall a total of about 4.3 million vehicles in China over concerns that doors may be difficult to open in an emergency, marking the country's largest automotive recall. > Tesla's remedy includes warning labels and an update delivered remotely that automatically lowers vehicle windows after a collis…

> that automatically lowers vehicle windows after a collision I wonder how long until people figure out that tapping the bumper of a parked tesla opens all the windows, letting people either steal the infotainment screen, or the whole car...

it would be easier to climb mount everest barefoot than steal a Tesla in China

Re: Nearly 3M Teslas recalled in China over hidden door handles

#18

Good move. There's an interesting old article on the door handles here: > https://medium.com/@arunchidambaram/is-teslas-door-handle-an... In aerodynamic terms, door handles are nbd compared to side mirrors. Mirrors account for 6% of a car's aerodynamic drag. Door handles: roughly 0.2%. Basically they make no difference -- their effect is a rounding error -- and they were implemented for form-over-function style point…

Would it help to add a surface behind the side mirrors so that it's more aerodynamic? I'm thinking something that stretches from the car body to the side mirrors.

Or could the side mirrors could be shaped like an airplane's wing so that the air displaces nicely?

It'd look weird, but I'd rather have the fuel efficiency.

Re: Nearly 3M Teslas recalled in China over hidden door handles

#19

China just continuing to be the super reasonable one. I wonder if the USA will double down and make hidden door handles mandatory, or just try and place a tariff on normal doors.

> I wonder if the USA will double down and make hidden door handles mandatory

As long as they’re steam-powered.

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