Retractable Door Handles - Is It Practical?

[jerry33]

I've often wondered how this is done on other cars without key locks, or when people only have FOBS. (What if the FOB died?). If power dies and the doors are locked, how do people get in with other cars? This is not unique to the Model S. maybe the fail-safe, no-power position is unlocked/extended?

It's no big deal. There is a mechanical key hidden in the fob of the Prius which allows you to open the door. You can put the fob in the slot to activate the car. I'm sure Tesla has a similar system.

 

[onlinespending]

Except that the Model S is actually more aerodynamic than a Prius...(from a Cd perspective, and possibly total drag as well)...and plugging in daily is actually a convenience, not an inconvenience...I can stop visiting the gas station on a weekly basis.

OK, but you get my point about compromising some aspect for a certain feature. wasn't claiming that the inconvenience of plugging in the Model S was more or less convenient than filling up an ICE with gas. That is obviously subjective. The point is that it's a new inconvenience that is unique to EVs, and could potentially be an inconvenience that some are displeased by (as absurd as that might be)...just as some are hung up on the inconvenience of a retracting door handle.

 

[Liz G]

With BMW they have a physical key that folds out from the fob when you might need it. BMW also can unlock your car remotely if necessary.

Tesla will have an App for that.

 

[SByer]

I have to say, I was impressed with the handles on the car that was at Google Earth Day (#65). Without the tech package, it was as fast to open a door as the Roadster. Now, that's not saying much (press-wait-click-pull in the Roadster, now a very familiar pattern), and I wouldn't want to impose that level of patience on kids (but I don't have kids, so I don't presume to know what would or wouldn't be frustrating).

I played with the door handles for a good 10 minutes (since I could be there before the crowds, benefits of volunteering to help), and they worked reliably. I could swear that the unlock portion was IR based (I was trying to see if they unlocked without touching the handle - and as far as I could tell they could, but I'm still now sure). I know that, unless I was trying, the door was unlocked by the time I could get pressure in the handle to pull open the door.

I think with the tech package, the latency on opening the doors could be better than conventional handles.

 

[vfx]

One other scenario: The car loses all power (short circuit, bricked, accident, lightning, who knows) and you need to get in. Will they function mechanically?

The Roadster has that figured out.

 

[ElSupreme]

Every time you press on the door handle to make it extend, you'll remember that that extra motion is the price of cool.

I watched a lot of the videos here. And I currently have a VW GTI where the back hatch has a 'push to retract' door handle. Sure it is mechanical but opening it is one fluid motion. Everyone in these videos pushes on the handle (hard it seems) then takes their hand away, waits for the handle to extend, then puts their hand back on the handle.

In reality you are going to brush the handle with your thumb, or back of fingers, as your hand approaches. And then drop your fingers behind the handle once it is open. I think most of this 'inconvenience' is due to lack of familiarity than with real delay.

Granted I have never used the door handles.

 

[spatterso911]

I watched a lot of the videos here. And I currently have a VW GTI where the back hatch has a 'push to retract' door handle. Sure it is mechanical but opening it is one fluid motion. Everyone in these videos pushes on the handle (hard it seems) then takes their hand away, waits for the handle to extend, then puts their hand back on the handle.

In reality you are going to brush the handle with your thumb, or back of fingers, as your hand approaches. And then drop your fingers behind the handle once it is open. I think most of this 'inconvenience' is due to lack of familiarity than with real delay.

Granted I have never used the door handles.

In order to get the handles to extend, you have to push the handle in slightly, after which the handle retracts. It is not touch operated. The part that is touch operated is the inside of the handle which activates the release to open the door.

If you have the tech package, the proximity sensors apparently extend the handles, and apparently the key fob will extend them with the button press. Only time will tell how this operation really functions.

 

[AnOutsider]

So tonight in westchester the doors weren't behaving too well. The rear passenger door on all the cars wasn't opening (saw that happen in a video from fashion island as well), and I was told by one of the reps that the auto extend on approach was nixed.

I got to speak to GeorgeB later in the night however and he told me that they weren't going to be there at launch because they didn't have the functionality exactly where they wanted it yet. He stressed that they'd rather have us upset that a feature we want isn't there just yet than furious that it's there and not working properly. They're focusing on near perfection in everything they DO roll out, so some things will need to be added in the myriad of software updates they have planned (so far 5 on the roadmap for this year)

 

[doug]

so some things will need to be added in the myriad of software updates they have planned (so far 5 on the roadmap for this year)

That sounds slightly worrying.

 

[gg_got_a_tesla]

Ouch... Smorgasbord would say, "I told you so!"

One of the key selling points of the tech package (being debated on the other thread) is now in limbo!

 

[spatterso911]

Gotta say this is concerning, but by no means do I think it is dead in the water. I mean... Tesla still has to have the motors in the door handle right?

 

[VolkerP]

Yes, the report is about the rear doors. How often do you approach your car with the key fob in your pocket with the intention to open one of the rear doors?

 

[jerry33]

A couple of times a month. It's actually annoying to have to open the front door to open the rear door.

 

[dsm363]

Yes, the report is about the rear doors. How often do you approach your car with the key fob in your pocket with the intention to open one of the rear doors?

When I drive my sedan, all the time actually. Put my bag on the back seat first then open driver's door. Maybe I'll just use the frunk.

 

[AnOutsider]

It's about all doors. Granted, I believe they had things dumbed down last night, but the launch functionality will be press to extend for tech package folks, and press the key fob to extend for non tech folks (which might be more convenient anyway).

It IS a little disappointing considering how long they've had to work on it, but I fully agree with GeorgeB... Let them get it right vs pissing us off with something that may not work 100% right. Just so long as they DO get it right and roll it out.

Fwiw it sounds like it does work now, but there are some edge cases they're working out/tweaking.

 

[smorgasbord]

He stressed that they'd rather have us upset that a feature we want isn't there just yet than furious that it's there and not working properly.

Hmm. I'd have asked why they moved the delivery dates UP, then. The cynic in me says they need the money soon. Are the handles the worst thing on the car right now? Maybe, which would be pretty good.

BTW, my nomenclature is that extended means sticking out so you can grasp them, and retracted means they're flush with the outside of the door.

If this truly is a software issue, then one would presume the easy behavior would be that when the car doors are unlocked and stationary, the handles are extended. When locked and/or driving, the handles are retracted. That is both easy to program and easy to use. If they're not doing that, the question needs to be Why? Because, that would suggest to me that something else is up. Let's hope they at least got the mechanicals right - the handle motors work reliably, the mechanisms don't jam, etc.,

 

[gmontem]

Yes, the report is about the rear doors. How often do you approach your car with the key fob in your pocket with the intention to open one of the rear doors?

That would be every day for me. My 16 month old is the first to go inside the car.

 

[Trnsl8r]

.... They're focusing on near perfection in everything they DO roll out, so some things will need to be added in the myriad of software updates they have planned (so far 5 on the roadmap for this year)

I haven't lost the faith or anything, but when I hear early deliveries coupled with "fix it in software updates", another California automobile start-up comes to mind...

 

[AnOutsider]

I haven't lost the faith or anything, but when I hear early deliveries coupled with "fix it in software updates", another California automobile start-up comes to mind...

Yup, and a lot of other tech products. But if they're doing what they say --putting out stuff that works then adding features later-- and they stick to their update schedule, I'm OK with that.

Again, I want to stress that George did NOT say anything was shipping broken, but that anything that didn't yet work to their satisfaction would be disabled until a future update. The door handles will still work, they just won't have the approach and extend feature at launch.

They're determined not to be Fisker

 

[AnOutsider]

Here are some screencaps of the manual that I posted here: Model S Manual Screencaps (and some others)

It shows how Tesla currently envisions the doors working. So basically, unlock the car, they extend. Lock they retract. Leave unlocked for more than 5 minutes, they retract then you simply push to get them to extend again:

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