Holy Hot Handles, Batman!

[JRP3]

Time for a carbon fiber door handle option?

 

[NigelM]

I asked for body color, but couldn't get it done.

 

[roblab]

Just to add my 2 bits: I went to get in my car after a 2 hour sit in the sun with the door facing the heat. I didn't have trouble touching the car handle, but when I put my fingers inside the handle to pull, I nearly burned them I am thinking of putting some kind of plastic liner inside, if it doesn't melt!

 

[smorgasbord]

Why is chrome hot and white not?

Yes - and from the article upon which that comment is made:

UNDERSTANDING EMISSIVITY
In order to understand the chart above, an understanding of emissivity is necessary. Emissivity is the ability for an object to release "emit" radiant heat. The lower the emissivity, the more difficult it is for heat to leave the surface in radiant form. This why chrome tools in your toolbox and car door handles get too hot to touch when exposed to the sun.
Most paints emit in the .90 range which is very high. (See Fig 1.2 next page) Chrome has an emissiviy or "E" value of .05. It will take more time for a chrome bumper to get as hot as one painted black but the low emissivity of chrome traps the heat making it much hotter. The low E value of chrome prevents the absorbed heat from escaping makes the surface hot. This is why black chrome solar panels provide hotter water than panels painted flat black. Black chrome will take a little longer to get hot, but once it does, the low E selective surface traps heat in the absorber which in turn transfers it through conduction into the water passages. Fig. 1.2 lists the emissivity of various substrates and building materials.

Fig 1.2 EMISSIVITY OF VARIOUS COMMON MATERIALS

Material Emissivity value

Gold, polished .03
Metalized Film Radiant Barrier .04
Silver, polished .04
Chrome .05
Aluminum, polished .04
oxidized .78
Brass, polished .04
oxidized .61
Iron, polished .21
oxidized .69
Copper, polished .05
oxidized .78
Human skin .98

EMISSIVITY OF BUILDING MATERIALS

Wood .95
Glass .94
Paint, average of 16 colors .94
Brick, common red .93
Concrete .92
Plaster, rough coat .91
Source: Handbook of Chemistry

So, a wood handle wouldn't be as hot to the touch, but a gold handle would be even worse. Maybe Tesla does need to offer a body colored handle in future versions.

Or, as Paris Hilton might say:

 

[ElSupreme]

So, a wood handle wouldn't be as hot to the touch, but a gold handle would be even worse. Maybe Tesla does need to offer a body colored handle in future versions.

The fact that chrome is also an excellent conductor means it transfers a lot of heat to your fingers quickly when you touch it. This makes it seem even hotter. Gold again would be even worse than the chrome.

 

[Andrew Wolfe]

Today I parked my car in direct sunlight for about two hours (11am-1pm) and the sun was directly on the driver side door handles during that time. The temperature was 77 degrees. (Don't hate me for living in a fabulous climate!) When I returned to the car after two hours, the driver side handle was scorchingly HOT!! Like so hot, I could barely stand to touch it hard enough to make the handle pop out. Even the rear side of the handle was extremely hot when I pulled on it. I guess it's the price we pay for those beautiful chrome handles. (Well, that and fingerprints!)

Happens to me too - every day - but only on one side of the car. I thought it was a short - but it is the sun. Unbelievably hot.

 

[smorgasbord]

It would be an interesting experiment to blue tape a small piece of a window solar shade over the handle to see if that prevents it from heating up. I bet it would.

Someone anticipated all this and patented a "Heatshield Kit for Vehicle Doors."

Of course, that's too cumbersome. Tesla obviously needs to design a mechanism that flips a heat shield in front of the handle when retracted, and flips it out of the way when the handle is extended. Just think how cool that flipping mechanism would be! (pun intended).

 

[kevincwelch]

Happens to me too - every day - but only on one side of the car. I thought it was a short - but it is the sun. Unbelievably hot.

I don't understand how things like this didn't come up. Didn't they test the Model S in hot weather environments? Did not one person get the sense that the door handles were a little hot?

 

[jerry33]

I don't understand how things like this didn't come up. Didn't they test the Model S in hot weather environments? Did not one person get the sense that the door handles were a little hot?

The problem with a one person design is that there isn't any input from anyone else, and often counter opinions are dismissed and people soon learn not to voice them. With luck the one person has mostly really good ideas and the problem areas are minor. Having a single person design tends to give consistency to the product (horse rather than camel). I would have thought that body colour door handles would have looked a lot better than the chrome ones because they'd be invisible, but that's just my take on it.

 

[kevincwelch]

The problem with a one person design is that there isn't any input from anyone else, and often counter opinions are dismissed and people soon learn not to voice them. With luck the one person has mostly really good ideas and the problem areas are minor. Having a single person design tends to give consistency to the product (horse rather than camel). I would have thought that body colour door handles would have looked a lot better than the chrome ones because they'd be invisible, but that's just my take on it.

I like the look of the chrome handles, however. (I feel like I am stirring up old threads on "a smidgen less chrome" and "are extending door handles practical.") Perhaps ultimately these door handles will be proven impractical for the fact that they get too hot and the recession of the handles presents small mechanical problems. If they really do get this hot, something will have to be done.

 

[onlinespending]

I would have thought that body colour door handles would have looked a lot better than the chrome ones because they'd be invisible, but that's just my take on it.

Agreed, but this is would likely create a supply chain issue for such a small company. Far more practical and economical for Tesla to have a universal color for the door handle, so I understand the use of chrome door handles. But perhaps they need to oxidize them, coat them, or use a faux chrome that retains the appearance but reduces the heat considerably.

 

[Arnold Panz]

Agreed, but this is would likely create a supply chain issue for such a small company. Far more practical and economical for Tesla to have a universal color for the door handle, so I understand the use of chrome door handles. But perhaps they need to oxidize them, coat them, or use a faux chrome that retains the appearance but reduces the heat considerably.

You could put a $20 piece of rubber or something on the back of the chrome that would be tactile and not conduct the heat from the chrome.

 

[gg_got_a_tesla]

You could put a $20 piece of rubber or something on the back of the chrome that would be tactile and not conduct the heat from the chrome.

Yeah, the Mini has chrome handles too but, does have a black plasticky tactile piece on the inside which actually presses in to unlatch the door:

 

[Zextraterrestrial]

how about a piece of window tint over the chrome? a really light color(or dark if you want it blacked out). It should block the IR and UV and keep the handle cool. I don't know how long it would last on the outside but it might hold up pretty well. It holds up pretty good on my plastic RC model S
http://www.teslamotorsclub.com/album.php?albumid=48&attachmentid=3767

 

[inottawa]

Parking my model S in my igloo up here in Canada will keep the harmful sun rays from heating the handles too much. That or I'll get my pet polar bear to stand between the sun and the car. I could also pick up a set out Mountie gloves to protect the ol' hands so I can pop over to Tim's for my coffee.

Seriously though. Is it really getting 'that' hot?

 

[Jason S]

The heat issue was surprising for me when I hit it yesterday, but not a big deal. I wasn't burnt, it was just surprising and I wanted to reduce contact with the surface.

So I used back of fingers to press in, and popped with minimum of grab to pull out enough to grab door by interior surface.

I could easily have used the fob to roll down all the windows too.

Also easily fixed by Tesla for V2; just use the already mentioned nonconductive interior surface for the contact with hand. Will help in warm or cold temps.

 

[MarkR]

In Arizona, this is going to be a real issue. Yesterday it was a bit painful to get the handle to extend by touch and REALLY hot when I pulled the door open. In the future, I'll use the fob to extend the handles and use a handkerchief to pull open the door. Hopefully, Tesla will come up with a non heat-conducting strip for the interior side of the handle.

 

[NigelM]

In Arizona, this is going to be a real issue. Yesterday it was a bit painful to get the handle to extend by touch and REALLY hot when I pulled the door open. In the future, I'll use the fob to extend the handles and use a handkerchief to pull open the door. Hopefully, Tesla will come up with a non heat-conducting strip for the interior side of the handle.

What sort of temperatures have you been experiencing so far? We've been up in the 80Fs and a few days into the 90Fs where the road temperatures got up to 102F but I haven't noticed any real issues with the heat of the handles. That said, both my wife and I try to always park in the shade wherever possible just to keep the car interior cool if nothing else.

 

[cdabel]

Oh how I would love to trade some hot and sunny problems for some cold and rainy ones.

 

[ElSupreme]

What sort of temperatures have you been experiencing so far? We've been up in the 80Fs and a few days into the 90Fs where the road temperatures got up to 102F but I haven't noticed any real issues with the heat of the handles. That said, both my wife and I try to always park in the shade wherever possible just to keep the car interior cool if nothing else.

I have noticed some hot handles, (100-110F probably, not enough to burn, but enough to cause a involuntary reaction to pull away) on a 40F day this February. I think direct sun is the real problem. I don't know how hot the handles will get. I haven't really had any other issues with them being hot, even on warm days.