Retractable Door Handles - Is It Practical?

[AnOutsider]

But they are SO cool.
They remind me - forgive the thirty-year slip back in tine - of the Nakamichi autoreverse tape deck that, to allow for autoreverse of the tape at the end of a side, flipped open the tape holder, swiveled the tape 180 degrees, and retracted back into the tape deck. Sweet.

I'd keep the handles as they are. They remain Signature Tesla. The perfect welcoming, the stunning entry.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lf4eR3ZkvoY

effin. awesome.

Just curious...

If Tesla included a 16yr warranty on the handles (with free Ranger visits to repair), would any of the critics feel better about them?

I hadn't honestly thought of the long-term durability, but I would imagine they are covered under the normal warranty, no? I guess I always assumed that if they 100% broke, they would be fixed anyway. Tesla wouldn't want to be known as the company that adds gee-whiz stuff that breaks and costs an arm and a leg to fix (especially with the Falcon doors still looming), so I'd assume they'd make sure they were covered.

 

[strider]

One of the minor irritations is that unlocking the doors takes two presses- Controls, then Unlock Doors. This takes an extra beat when trying to let in someone when you've driven to pick them up.

I find it's fastest to just pop the driver's door open - that unlocks the car and extends the handles. Once your passengers open their doors you can close yours.

 

[elecblue]

"Retractable Door Handles - Is It Practical?"

Yes - they work fine.

 

[eledille]

But they are SO cool.

Yes, they're cool. But they need to work even when frozen and continue to do so until the car finally dies, otherwise they're impractical, overengineered silliness (IMO).

Even if they do, I much prefer the elegant simplicity of the Aston Martin variant. The whole thing seems like too much money and complication to me. They should have been a 2000 dollar option, I bet they cost at least that much.

Just curious... If Tesla included a 16yr warranty on the handles (with free Ranger visits to repair), would any of the critics feel better about them?

Only because that would make me feel reassured that they would continue to work, so I would never have to wait for a ranger to fix the cool but broken door handle.

 

[jkirkebo]

What are people going to do when the door handle motors start wearing out? Of all the things that need replacing on older cars, why make door handles one of them? I know they are cool when they work, but it's an unneeded over complication.

All door handles can wear out. On my old VW Jetta I had to replace both front door handles as they eventually broke. My father did the same on his Audi 100.

 

[eledille]

All door handles can wear out. On my old VW Jetta I had to replace both front door handles as they eventually broke. My father did the same on his Audi 100.

So which would be more expensive to build, more likely to break or cause problems, and more costly to repair? What I don't get is why the fancy handles are standard equipment. I don't want them.

 

[GSP]

Besides the gee-wiz factor, the retractable handles probably contribute to the Model S's remarkably low Cd, which in turn contributes to its remarkable range.

Maybe that is partially why they are standard equipment.

GSP

 

[eledille]

Besides the gee-wiz factor, the retractable handles probably contribute to the Model S's remarkably low Cd, which in turn contributes to its remarkable range.

Maybe that is partially why they are standard equipment.

GSP

The aforementioned Aston Martin handles are just as aerodynamic without any motors at all, and in my opinion they are a much better solution. They're bound to weigh less too. This is gee-wiz only.

 

[efusco]

The touch screen is gee-wiz, the BT phone is gee-wiz, the 3G is gee-wiz, the one touch adjusting wheel, seats, mirrors is gee-wiz, the automatic hatch is gee-wiz. There are a ton of gee-wiz things on this car that 5 or 10 years ago would have been cutting edge...hell, the center screen and some of the other features are still cutting edge. The door hands, IMO, are not all that revolutionary. Perhaps the exact application is unique, but the proximity sensor is not, the fact that they unlock and open electronically is not. Could they freeze shut...yes, will that be bad...yes. But I've had my door handles freeze on just about every car I've ever owned...and honestly, if it's that bad then usually the entire door is frozen shut around the seams.

I think I'm going to look for some thin black magnetic covers to go over the driver's side door handle when ice or freezing rain is forecasted in hopes of preventing the handle from freezing shut just as a precaution, but as a solution I'll do what I've always done with every other car...I'll chip away what I can, I'll pour warm water over the frozen seams/gaps and I'll figure it out. While I'll acknowledge that the particular design of the Tesla handles might predispose it to a somewhat higher freezing risk than some other designs I don't think the amount of angst being tossed about here is justified.

Tesla, please don't change the handles for the handful of naysayers here.

 

[eelton]

I think I'm going to look for some thin black magnetic covers to go over the driver's side door handle when ice or freezing rain is forecasted in hopes of preventing the handle from freezing shut just as a precaution

Isn't the Tesla's body aluminum?

 

[efusco]

Isn't the Tesla's body aluminum?

I don't think the door handles are aluminum...worth testing though before I go buying anything. I was thinking of a simple oval sheet magnet that fits just over the handle and thus would pop out with the handle.

 

[Hank42]

I think I'm going to look for some thin black magnetic covers to go over the driver's side door handle when ice or freezing rain is forecasted in hopes of preventing the handle from freezing shut just as a precaution, but as a solution I'll do what I've always done with every other car...I'll chip away what I can, I'll pour warm water over the frozen seams/gaps and I'll figure it out. While I'll acknowledge that the particular design of the Tesla handles might predispose it to a somewhat higher freezing risk than some other designs I don't think the amount of angst being tossed about here is justified.

Tesla, please don't change the handles for the handful of naysayers here.

You should not be forced into finding workarounds for a design flaw! This is the whole point about this thread.

 

[vfx]

Originally Posted by Todd Burch
It has nothing to do with aerodynamics (Aston Martin door handles would account for that) and everything to do with wow factor.

It's a perhaps-over-engineered solution for aerodynamics (compared to Aston Martin) but "nothing to do with" is an overstatement. IMO, anyway.

Sorry, I'm with Todd on this one.

The GTR also has flush handles. It's all about being cool.

- - - Updated - - -

You should not be forced into finding workarounds for a design flaw! This is the whole point about this thread.

We are talking 'bout extreme condition workarounds. Block heaters, blankets for the windshield, snow tires, I'm in sunny California and have heard of all of these things. There are probably more.

 

[DrTaras]

I've been searching for a youtube video that I thought Cinergi posted but I can't find. He was in his community garage and the drivers door just popped open & he was even able to replicate it. An obvious bug. Does anyone know the link to that video? I think my MSP is having the same issue.

 

[mknox]

I've been searching for a youtube video that I thought Cinergi posted but I can't find. He was in his community garage and the drivers door just popped open & he was even able to replicate it. An obvious bug. Does anyone know the link to that video? I think my MSP is having the same issue.

It's here at about 45 seconds in.

 

[Todd Burch]

To answer this post's original question: In my experience, yes. Haven't encountered problems with the handles. They don't slow me down when getting into the car. I think the auto-presenting could occur a few feet further from the car, though.

 

[DrTaras]

It's here at about 45 seconds in.

Thank YOU!

 

[mknox]

The OP's question was are the handles "practical. While there is a certain cool factor to them, my vote is no, they are not practical. Problems have been discussed with the operation of the handles, but even working perfectly it seems to be an extra complication for something that doesn't offer any extra value to the owner. It doesn't make it any easier to open the door and get in. There's been a lot of discussion around other features that are missing (parking assist, blind spot detection, power folding mirrors) and the answer has always been that Tesla needed to get the car out the door and just didn't have time to implement them. Well, I would have rather seen Tesla implement those other "off the shelf" options instead of what must have been a lot of engineering time and effort in the design of these obviously highly custom door handles. Just my 2-cents...

 

[pilotSteve]

Ultimately I think its an "Elon" call - that the car must have significant distinguishing features that are "beautiful". (Beauty is, of course, in the eye of the beholder.... or not!).

I think its primarily a corporate vanity issue but as long as they keep working any ugly wrinkles so the true beauty shines thru the final product it will be all good! IMO.

 

[aronth5]

It will be interesting to see what Elon does with the Gen3 since keeping the price down will likely result in Aston Martin type door handles.
Plus the wow factor won't really be necessary.