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For those wondering, from the article it looks like he wasn't aware of the manual door release (https://www.tesla.com/ownersmanual/model3/en_au/GUID-7A32EC01-A1

by jplona 3y ago

For those wondering, from the article it looks like he wasn't aware of the manual door release (https://www.tesla.com/ownersmanual/model3/en_au/GUID-7A32EC01-A17E-42CC-A15B-2E0A39FD07AB.html https://www.tesla.com/ownersmanual/model3/en_au/GUID-7A32EC0...).

marcod 3y ago
which is different on every Tesla model...
- dymk 3y ago
  Edit: You know what, nevermind. Tesla is about as flame-baity a topic as abortion on HN.
  - mplewis 3y ago
    It sounds like you're making excuses for the unintuitive interface.
    - deleted 3y ago
      [deleted]
  - nkrisc 3y ago
    Not everyone who is sitting in a Tesla is the owner of the Tesla.
    - actionfromafar 3y ago
      You will own nothing and be happy. Edit: I know passenger, I just wanted to point out the absurdity of requiring intimate familiarity with a door to be able to open it, extending to drivers. Think car sharing pools etc, something the future will have more of. Next up - in the next firmware update after fully self-driving, comes fully self-opening door!
      - nkrisc 3y ago
        I meant a passenger.
  - kube-system 3y ago
    Door handles should be intuitive to all occupants regardless of whether they own the vehicle.
    - actionfromafar 3y ago
      Will someone think of the children?!
- Veserv 3y ago
  In particular there is no manual door release for the backseat of a Model 3, and the Model Y manual door release is a cable hidden under a access door which is itself hidden under a mat in the rear door pocket [1] (assuming it has one, early model years do not). A regular backseat passenger will never find the Model Y rear door manual release in the event of a crash without being shown exactly where it is. A regular backseat passenger in a Model 3 must either crawl into the front or break a window to escape. I do believe the front door release is the same in all models though; which is a regular pull handle around where you would expect a normal door handle to be. Funnily enough, many people mistake it for the actual door release since the door UI is very unintuitive. [1] https://www.tesla.com/ownersmanual/modely/en_us/GUID-7A32EC01-A17E-42CC-A15B-2E0A39FD07AB.html https://www.tesla.com/ownersmanual/modely/en_us/GUID-7A32EC0...
  - actionfromafar 3y ago
    This is funny, it reads like safety thinking in cars in the 1950s.
eep_social 3y ago
Is it reasonable to expect the owner of a Tesla Model Y to read the Model 3 manual to learn about manual door overrides? Doesn’t seem reasonable to me.
- KingMachiavelli 3y ago
  It's the same in the Model Y's manual. (https://www.tesla.com/ownersmanual/modely/en_us/GUID-7A32EC01-A17E-42CC-A15B-2E0A39FD07AB.html https://www.tesla.com/ownersmanual/modely/en_us/GUID-7A32EC0...)
  - eep_social 3y ago
    I disagree. Let me quote from your link: > Note: Not all Model Y vehicles are equipped with a manual release for the rear doors.
    - maxbond 3y ago
      Iirc some of the vehicles in the Las Vegas tunnel are Model Ys. Hopefully they are the ones equipped with rear manual releases, because they're taking passengers in the back regularly and in the event of a fire the chips are already stacked against them.
- nickthegreek 3y ago
  Would a renter be under the same obligation?
kube-system 3y ago
It's a Norman door. A great example of form over function. Good designs are intuitive, but unfortunately, what makes for good test-drive marketing (look at the cool push-button!) doesn't necessarily make for good design. Yes, the manual lever 'checks the box' for concerns about a dead battery, but it is an unnecessary compromise of human-centered design. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Design_of_Everyday_Things https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Design_of_Everyday_Things
- spiderice 3y ago
  The problem with the design isn’t the unintuitive handle. It’s the fact that said handle can damage the window if used. That is why it is an emergency-only handle. If anything, I wish the handle was less obvious so people wouldn’t accidentally use it. Even more ideally, I just with the handle didn’t have a somewhat decent chance of doing damage when used.
  - Vecr 3y ago
    How can it be less obvious and still be legal? In my opinion it should be red with orange stripes and say "emergency door open" on it. It already has gotten people killed by how non-obvious it is.
  - kube-system 3y ago
    The person in this article didn't not escape his car because he was concerned about window damage. He didn't escape because his vehicle's hidden door controls unwittingly trained him into not fully understanding how the door latch works. The problem is the psychological consequences of the design trapped the person inside, regardless of the emergency latch's existence. Most people presume that their car doors have one latch, especially if they only ever see or use a single one.
  - rootusrootus 3y ago
    > Even more ideally, I just with the handle didn’t have a somewhat decent chance of doing damage when used. Agree 100%. Tesla cheaped out on the mechanical release. Other manufacturers don't have this problem, and solved it decades ago.
maxbond 3y ago
I don't see how I would known that if i didn't happen to have read it, it doesn't seem to be marked at all and it's as inconspicuous as possible. Not a desirable property in a safety feature. This is speculation, but it seems like if this 12V battery fails closed, you could easily have a situation where the door won't open and the cabin is filling with smoke.
- cobaltoxide 3y ago
  Agreed. I've rented a Tesla on two occasions (for one week each time) and was unaware of this manual release until now.
outlace 3y ago
Maybe if the battery is critically low on power it should show how to manually exit the vehicle on the screen for people who never read the manual.
- bitterspeak 3y ago
  Maybe Tesla should have the drivetrain battery recharge the 12V enough to power the doors or just enough for the passengers to get out of the car.
  - cj 3y ago
    Maybe a digital/mechanical button combo would help. Light press: door opens electronically. Hard press: door opens mechanically.
  - actionfromafar 3y ago
    Or just a door that opens like doors should.

by jplona 3y ago

marcod 3y ago

which is different on every Tesla model...

dymk 3y ago
Edit: You know what, nevermind. Tesla is about as flame-baity a topic as abortion on HN.
- mplewis 3y ago
  It sounds like you're making excuses for the unintuitive interface.
  - deleted 3y ago
    [deleted]
- nkrisc 3y ago
  Not everyone who is sitting in a Tesla is the owner of the Tesla.
  - actionfromafar 3y ago
    You will own nothing and be happy. Edit: I know passenger, I just wanted to point out the absurdity of requiring intimate familiarity with a door to be able to open it, extending to drivers. Think car sharing pools etc, something the future will have more of. Next up - in the next firmware update after fully self-driving, comes fully self-opening door!
    - nkrisc 3y ago
      I meant a passenger.
- kube-system 3y ago
  Door handles should be intuitive to all occupants regardless of whether they own the vehicle.
  - actionfromafar 3y ago
    Will someone think of the children?!
Veserv 3y ago
In particular there is no manual door release for the backseat of a Model 3, and the Model Y manual door release is a cable hidden under a access door which is itself hidden under a mat in the rear door pocket [1] (assuming it has one, early model years do not). A regular backseat passenger will never find the Model Y rear door manual release in the event of a crash without being shown exactly where it is. A regular backseat passenger in a Model 3 must either crawl into the front or break a window to escape. I do believe the front door release is the same in all models though; which is a regular pull handle around where you would expect a normal door handle to be. Funnily enough, many people mistake it for the actual door release since the door UI is very unintuitive. [1] https://www.tesla.com/ownersmanual/modely/en_us/GUID-7A32EC01-A17E-42CC-A15B-2E0A39FD07AB.html https://www.tesla.com/ownersmanual/modely/en_us/GUID-7A32EC0...
- actionfromafar 3y ago
  This is funny, it reads like safety thinking in cars in the 1950s.

eep_social 3y ago

Is it reasonable to expect the owner of a Tesla Model Y to read the Model 3 manual to learn about manual door overrides? Doesn’t seem reasonable to me.

KingMachiavelli 3y ago
It's the same in the Model Y's manual. (https://www.tesla.com/ownersmanual/modely/en_us/GUID-7A32EC01-A17E-42CC-A15B-2E0A39FD07AB.html https://www.tesla.com/ownersmanual/modely/en_us/GUID-7A32EC0...)
- eep_social 3y ago
  I disagree. Let me quote from your link: > Note: Not all Model Y vehicles are equipped with a manual release for the rear doors.
  - maxbond 3y ago
    Iirc some of the vehicles in the Las Vegas tunnel are Model Ys. Hopefully they are the ones equipped with rear manual releases, because they're taking passengers in the back regularly and in the event of a fire the chips are already stacked against them.
nickthegreek 3y ago
Would a renter be under the same obligation?

kube-system 3y ago

It's a Norman door. A great example of form over function. Good designs are intuitive, but unfortunately, what makes for good test-drive marketing (look at the cool push-button!) doesn't necessarily make for good design. Yes, the manual lever 'checks the box' for concerns about a dead battery, but it is an unnecessary compromise of human-centered design. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Design_of_Everyday_Things https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Design_of_Everyday_Things

spiderice 3y ago
The problem with the design isn’t the unintuitive handle. It’s the fact that said handle can damage the window if used. That is why it is an emergency-only handle. If anything, I wish the handle was less obvious so people wouldn’t accidentally use it. Even more ideally, I just with the handle didn’t have a somewhat decent chance of doing damage when used.
- Vecr 3y ago
  How can it be less obvious and still be legal? In my opinion it should be red with orange stripes and say "emergency door open" on it. It already has gotten people killed by how non-obvious it is.
- kube-system 3y ago
  The person in this article didn't not escape his car because he was concerned about window damage. He didn't escape because his vehicle's hidden door controls unwittingly trained him into not fully understanding how the door latch works. The problem is the psychological consequences of the design trapped the person inside, regardless of the emergency latch's existence. Most people presume that their car doors have one latch, especially if they only ever see or use a single one.
- rootusrootus 3y ago
  > Even more ideally, I just with the handle didn’t have a somewhat decent chance of doing damage when used. Agree 100%. Tesla cheaped out on the mechanical release. Other manufacturers don't have this problem, and solved it decades ago.

maxbond 3y ago

I don't see how I would known that if i didn't happen to have read it, it doesn't seem to be marked at all and it's as inconspicuous as possible. Not a desirable property in a safety feature. This is speculation, but it seems like if this 12V battery fails closed, you could easily have a situation where the door won't open and the cabin is filling with smoke.

cobaltoxide 3y ago
Agreed. I've rented a Tesla on two occasions (for one week each time) and was unaware of this manual release until now.

outlace 3y ago

Maybe if the battery is critically low on power it should show how to manually exit the vehicle on the screen for people who never read the manual.

bitterspeak 3y ago
Maybe Tesla should have the drivetrain battery recharge the 12V enough to power the doors or just enough for the passengers to get out of the car.
- cj 3y ago
  Maybe a digital/mechanical button combo would help. Light press: door opens electronically. Hard press: door opens mechanically.
- actionfromafar 3y ago
  Or just a door that opens like doors should.