Retractable Door Handles - Is It Practical?

[strider]

I know you're being half serious, but stand beside your car, count to 10, and tell me that wouldn't be annoying. 10 seconds is a long time :wink:

But my point is that the times when you don't have the fob and actually have to wait for the handles to extend will be almost never. Nearly every time you'll have the fob in your pocket and they will extend and you approach or if you don't have the tech pkg you'll hit the unlock button on the fob and they'll extend as you approach. This is a tempest in a teacup.

 

[strider]

I was unclear. Automatically-extending is what I meant. Although I haven't seen anything from Tesla of what kind of remote/keyless function comes standard, I suppose one has to assume that a remote of some sort would be.

I'm sure the fob is the same but you'll have to pull the fob from your pocket and push the unlock button as you approach to get the handles to slide out and unlock the car.

 

[Robert.Boston]

Do you suppose all the key fobs are black, or will they be available to match the car color?

 

[ElSupreme]

Remember that time before keyless entry? I do and I am not that old. I bet you were pretty quick with the key in the door to unlock it. These handles will be faster than that. After you are used to them it won't be a problem.

 

[dsm363]

Do you suppose all the key fobs are black, or will they be available to match the car color?

I'm hoping they match the car. I would think at least the Signature Red would match since that's the only unique color (to the Signature series) but I guess the rest could all be black. I don't think they'd make all 10+ color key fobs.

 

[AnOutsider]

I'm fine with black, not sure how odd a big ole white key fob would look

 

[gg_got_a_tesla]

Do you suppose all the key fobs are black, or will they be available to match the car color?

A tacky idea if you ask me; like all those silly colored computer mice Black's beautiful!

Agree with strider above. Without automatic keyless entry, the remote would work like any other car key remote fob out there. The automatic aspect is surely going to work well enough; this 10-sec speculation is probably misguided.

 

[NigelM]

...this 10-sec speculation is probably misguided.

Probably??

 

[dsm363]

Even if it took 3 seconds, as long as the car sensed you were walking towards it within 5 feet, I don't think it would be much of an issue. If you didn't have the tech package, you could simply push the unlock button from as far away as the key fob worked so that also shouldn't be an issue. If it reduces drag by having them retract during driving, then I think it's a good idea.

 

[NigelM]

/\
Agree.

I'd also imagine that Tesla learned about antenna placement this time around.

 

[Todd Burch]

I think it will take on the order of about 1/2 second for the handles to extend anyway.

By the way, what happens if the battery in the key fob goes out and I don't have a handy replacement? Will I be unable to start the car or even open the doors?

 

[AnOutsider]

I think it will take on the order of about 1/2 second for the handles to extend anyway.

By the way, what happens if the battery in the key fob goes out and I don't have a handy replacement? Will I be unable to start the car or even open the doors?

You can press the handles to extend, I'd imagine the Key Fob will also have a physical key inside

 

[gg_got_a_tesla]

You can press the handles to extend, I'd imagine the Key Fob will also have a physical key inside

Yup, standard MO for all such 'easy access' key fobs (wife's Mini works this way).

 

[strider]

Yup, standard MO for all such 'easy access' key fobs (wife's Mini works this way).

Well, on my Corvette they gave you a separate physical key which allowed you to open the trunk. You could then put the fob in a slot in the glove box and the car would start when you hit the start button. But you had to crawl through the trunk to open the doors. Also, the car would warn you that the fob battery was getting low so if you ignored that message every time you started the car for weeks then you deserve to have to crawl through the trunk

 

[Doug_G]

Some keyless cars have a hidden jack on the dashboard where you can plug in the FOB if the battery is dead.

 

[W.Petefish]

Are we even certain that the FOB will have a battery? They could be using RFID or a SuperCap with an inductive charger.

 

[strider]

Are we even certain that the FOB will have a battery? They could be using RFID or a SuperCap with an inductive charger.

You can't get the kind of range people expect with passive RFID (being able to lock/unlock as a distance from the car) and there has been no mention of having to place the fob into a receptacle in the car for it to charge.

 

[vfx]

old video

 

[MitchL]

I'm really hoping that the door handles (and the sunroof) will be operable for the cars that will be on display at Santana Row this weekend. I'd be a little spooked if there are lots of "this is disabled" excuses.

(assuming the cars on display are from the RC builds, if they are the hand-built ones, then I'd have other worries...).

/Mitch.

 

[AnOutsider]

I thought the ones this weekend were going to be Beta 2s