China bans hidden door handles in EVs
Feb. 3rd, 2026 10:47 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
thewayneGOOD! 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
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
no subject
Date: 2026-02-04 02:47 am (UTC)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.
no subject
Date: 2026-02-04 03:22 pm (UTC)I always thought it was so stupid that an EV was so full of electronic gadgets. :o
no subject
Date: 2026-02-04 06:22 pm (UTC)Well, EVs are extremely computerized. They have to be to regulate charge, regulate the drive motors, etc. The simple gadgets: entertainment systems, heater/AC, lights: those are fairly dumb relatively. Relegate those to the 12 volt circuit and save the load from the complicated stuff. EVs are truly computers on wheels that move people around.
no subject
Date: 2026-02-05 01:11 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2026-02-05 05:00 am (UTC)They don't do as well in super-cold climates, which clearly is such where you live. It would restrict its range, but if you installed a level 2 charger at home, just plug it in when you get home in the morning and you'd probably never have a problem. A decent EV is actually (pretty much) lower maintenance and more reliable than an internal combustion engine - fewer moving parts! Tires and wiper blades, plus that 12v battery every few years for the most part, and, of course, software updates.