China bans hidden door handles in EVs

[thewayne]

GOOD! I've always thought this was a stupid idea. It probably started with Tesla, and they certainly popularized it. While it saves a few hundredths of a percent in streamlining, it is deadly. The handles are, by definition, electronic. And if your car suffers a complete loss of electric power in a severe crash, then the occupants have to engage emergency manual overrides.

Well, guess what? After a severe crash, the occupants are NOT going to be in a calm state of mind! Do you know where the manual overrides are in the back seat of some Teslas? UNDER THE FLOORMATS. The front ones can be kind of fiddly to find, and a lot of people have died while others have tried rescuing them while being unable to get the damn doors open! Including the sister in law of the former Senate Majority Leader when she accidentally backed her Tesla into a cow pond because you have to change gears on a damn touch screen?!

A friend of mine owned the first generation Tesla Roadster. He kept a five pound sledge hammer in the glove box for such a situation.

The new requirement becomes law on January 1, 2027.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cp37g5nxe3lo

Comments

[murakozi]

Sadly, I suspect Tesla doesn't sell any cars in China, so they'll probably be unaffected. Even if they did, I imagine most car buyers there are going to buy another brand, because they're cheaper and better.

[thewayne]

They have/had a plant in China, and somehow most of their tech leaked to other Chinese manufacturers.  Also the Chinese gov't wouldn't allow Tesla cars within X distance of Chinese government buildings.  I don't know if they're still making Tesla cars there, it's entirely possible their sales there are now around zero.  Overall, they're not a very innovative brand: they just stopped making two of their five cars, they're very slow to refresh their lines compared to every other maker on the face of the planet.

[richardf8]

A five pound sledgehammer? The are spring loaded punches that will shatter safety glass in an instant.

[thewayne]

He was an old-fashioned engineer.

Yes ...

[ysabetwordsmith]

Same with electronic windows. Without power, the only way to open them is to break them. But a hand-cranked window could be rolled down manually even underwater.

[kaishin108]

I cringe at the thought of being trapped in a car not being able to find the handle to open the door!

[thewayne]

I've never ridden in a Tesla and frankly don't want to.  If someone were to give me one, I'd take possession and turn around and sell it at a steep discount.

[kaishin108]

I totally agree, ick ick ick.

[ranunculus]

Me Three.
I'm still slightly skeptical about having an automatic transmission. I grew up on a rural ranch with not terribly reliable vehicles. In a pinch one could always start the car by rolling downhill and popping the clutch!

[thewayne]

Heh.  Yeah, I did that a few times.  But that's pretty much in the past now, not many sticks these days.

[kaishin108]

That's a good point!

[armiphlage]

I use rideshares to get to and from work. Some of the drivers with Tesla vehicles have purchased carbon-fiber handles to replace the flush outer handles that need at least two hands to open (and which pinch my fingers if I'm not wearing gloves). Other drivers have taped big signs to the inner doors pointing to the tiny pushbutton that first rolls the window down a centimetre, then unlatches the door.

[disneydream06]

I was never going to buy a Tesla, but that really seals the deal. :o :o :o
Hugs Jon

[thewayne]

EVs always have a conventional 12 volt car battery, in addition to the monster big battery.  The 12 volt powers the radio and all the accessories in the car.  And if it dies, the car won't run.  And it catches a lot of people by surprise as they often don't know about this second battery!  But if the car suffers catastrophic damage, you never know what it'll do.  No, I've never cared for Tesla's design choices.