Retractable Door Handles - Is It Practical?

[strider]

It's more complicated than that. First, you probably mean the car has to be in PARK and unlocked. Otherwise, you'll have handles extending at stoplights and freeway traffic jams - unless the car always automatically locks itself when driven above 5 mph or something. And even then there are issues: if you leave the car unlocked, everyone will instantly know it. And then is there any impact of leaving the handles extended long term, exposed to weather? I'm sure there are other issues as well, including that Elon won't think leaving the handles extended looks "cool." And coolness is what all this nonsense is about, after all.

The Roadster locks itself when driven. Many cars do. If you're picking your kid up at school it's trivial for the drive to hit the Unlock button which would cause the handles to slide out. If you're approaching the car with passengers you hit the unlock button and the handle slide out. I just don't see how this is so "complicated". It's no different than any other keyless entry system out there.

Does Model S have a driver safety mode? On my X5, the first unlock command unlocks only the driver's door - that helps prevent people from jumping in with you. If the car unlocks when you PARK it, that can be a safety problem as well, so you need a lock/unlock within the car, which I'm guessing has to be on the touchscreen. How convenient is that? It might be more convenient if it has separate "unlock driver's door" and "unlock all doors" buttons. It's surprising how complicated even normal car lock/unlock scenarios can be, and now we've got another variable in the handle retraction to deal with.

Yes. It's a choice in the system settings screen. My Corvette and Jeep are the same way. You select in a menu if you want just the driver or all doors to unlock. You're kind of flying off the handle here, speculating on the car unlocking itself as soon as you hit Park. We don't know how it'll work yet. Many cars remain locked until the driver opens their door and then the rest of the doors unlock. I don't see why retractable handles have any relation to driver safety or how the various buttons will work.

As for Elon, what works for a divorced, workaholic father may not work for a single person or a married person with or without kids. For instance, having the seat and mirror settings tied to one of 2 key fobs doesn't work in my family of 3 drivers. Not to mention that with multiple cars/drivers we don't each have every car's key on our personal keychains, but instead have a dish by the front door that nominally holds one of each car's key with a house key. That way, we take the key for the car we're taking. Now, we'll be forced to use separate key fobs for the different drivers, and figure out how to share 2 fob with 3 people of varying heights. My X5 has 3 buttons for seat/mirror memory.

Again, HOW DO YOU KNOW IT WILL WORK THIS WAY???????? My Corvette had 2 fobs - labelled 1 and 2 respectively. These corresponded to seat/steering memory 1 and 2. But if you grabbed the wrong key you just hit your number and it would override the Fob. It also shouldn't be hard for Tesla to have a ridiculous number of seat memory positions since it's just a touchscreen and not physical buttons. Ask them to increase it to 3. IIRC, BMW can only slave 2 seat settings to key fobs, the 3rd person has to use the seat button so there's no reason Model S can't work the exact same way. This is really trivial stuff you're freaking out about.

Bottom line is that works for Elon may not work for me nor you. I'm expecting to live with a certain level of frustration, but to me, retractable door handles is Tesla going out of their way to make owner's lives harder for the sake of coolness that, like LED watches and leisure suits, won't last.

You drive a Roadster. You're already dealing with one of the most impractical cars to ever hit the road. The trunk is completely useless, you have to do yoga to get in and out, the HVAC system barely works, the stereo is terrible, bluetooth phone is unusable, you have to approach any driveway and speed bump at a 45-degree angle, the keyless entry won't work more then 6ft away from the car, the mirrors work themselves out of adjustment as you drive, the list goes on and on. I just can't see how retracting door handles on Model S comes anywhere near the level of "conforming to your car" than what you've already done for the Roadster.

 

[strider]

Watch this and tell me how it can be as convenient and fast as a normal door handle:

Notice also that it retracts after the door has closed, but is not locked.

If you're getting the tech package the driver (and maybe passengers, haven't seen the final implementation) will never have to do that as the handle will extend as you approach. It'll work like a standard handle. If you don't get the tech package you'll press the unlock button on the fob as you approach and the handle will extend. I just don't think you're going to be having to "press to extend" very often in real life. The retracting in the video is a simple software setting. It may be because the fob is not nearby. My point is that Tesla can adjust the behavior based on what we the customers say. They could easily make it so the handles stay out until the doors are locked (either via driving away or the driver pressing the lock button).

 

[Arnold Panz]

Well, can't please all of the people all of the time. All I know is that video was pretty cool.

I was thinking the same thing! No delay in release of the handle, and the slide back in after a few second delay is really cool. I think the intention is that as someone with the fob walks towards the car, the handle will pop out automatically -- not sure if this will require pushing a button on the fob or not (hopefully not), but that would completely eliminate the split second delay or extra step required in the video to get the handle open.

 

[dsm363]

If you don't get the tech package, won't the handles simply extend when you unlock the doors with your key fob?

 

[AnOutsider]

I was thinking the same thing! No delay in release of the handle, and the slide back in after a few second delay is really cool. I think the intention is that as someone with the fob walks towards the car, the handle will pop out automatically -- not sure if this will require pushing a button on the fob or not (hopefully not), but that would completely eliminate the split second delay or extra step required in the video to get the handle open.

Certainly looked less complicated then the push one end, pull the other end Aston handles. As for pushing a fob, it's my understanding that no tech package = push button on fob, tech package = auto extend (and likely also push on fob for manual operation). Both should also have the push to extend.

 

[doug]

Are the handles still LED lit as well?

 

[MitchL]

Are the handles still LED lit as well?

I'm pretty sure they were lit on the white beta at Santana Row, I was there a few days ago.

/Mitch.

 

[Lloyd]

Well first if you have the tech package, the handles will present to you when you approach the car, if not you have to push to key fob, just as you would with any other car. I understand that the "touch to extend" is not required to attain entry in every circumstance.

I believe that it will be just as easy or easier than another car. We will see when release candidates are shown and drives are available. Until then it is just an argument of opinions!

Watch this and tell me how it can be as convenient and fast as a normal door handle:

Notice also that it retracts after the door has closed, but is not locked.

 

[smorgasbord]

If you're getting the tech package the driver (and maybe passengers, haven't seen the final implementation) will never have to do that as the handle will extend as you approach.

Go back to an earlier post where I talk about unloading the car. I made one trip into the house and am now unloading groceries with the fob in my pocket. My son goes to the car to get some more bags, but the handles have since retracted.

 

[doug]

Go back to an earlier post where I talk about unloading the car. I made one trip into the house and am now unloading groceries with the fob in my pocket. My son goes to the car to get some more bags, but the handles have since retracted.

Ok, please stop now. You've expressed your concerns. No reason to repeat yourself ad infinitum.

 

[onlinespending]

Well first if you have the tech package, the handles will present to you when you approach the car, if not you have to push to key fob, just as you would with any other car. I understand that the "touch to extend" is not required to attain entry in every circumstance.

Keep in mind that a lot of newer cars allow you to simply place your hand (or fingers) between the door handle and door panel (or pull on the handle), and it will automatically unlock as long as you have the FOB in your pocket. I can't tell you the last time I've unlocked my car by actually pressing the unlock button the key fob.

 

[Trnsl8r]

... IMO, if you want to look cool, get a Fisker. Tesla should be about practical technology that just works.

I know this was quite few posts ago, but that sums up my thoughts better than I could myself. Hat's off to smörgåsbord...

 

[Todd Burch]

OK, let's think it through. Here's one possibility, in "pseudocode":

Arrival to car:
KeyFOB approaches(tech package): unlock and extend driver's handle, or
Press unlock on FOB once (tech or non-tech pkg) to unlock/extend driver's handle.
Press unlock 2x on the FOB (tech or non-tech pkg) to unlock/extend driver and passenger handles. <--even my Corolla will do this (minus the extending, of course:wink

In all of these cases, keep handles extended and doors unlocked until you lock the car or exceed 5mph. Once you cross this threshold, retract handles, lock doors(optional). If 5 minutes have elapsed and you have neither locked the car nor exceeded 5 mph, retract handles (but keep doors unlocked). To get them to come out again in this case, you'd have to touch the handle....but this should be very rare (especially if you use 10 minutes instead).

While operating the vehicle:
-If driver or passenger unlocks door via an interior button and speed is below 5mph, unlock and extend handles. Keep them extended until car exceeds 5mph again. Then retract handles. This allows you to pull up to the curb and pick up a passenger without waiting for the handle to extend.
-If driver/passenger presses unlock while the speed is over 5mph, unlock doors but don't extend handles until car drops below 5mph.
-In these cases, once the door handles retract, they shouldn't go back out again if the car drops below 5mph unless unlock is commanded again. (this keeps handles from extending/retracting over and over again if in bumper to bumper traffic, for instance).

Finishing a drive:
-if driver presses unlock, or any door opens, extend the handles. Keep them extended until the car is locked.
-if 5 minutes have elapsed and the car has not been locked, retract the handles.

What did I miss? (I'll edit this post if I can think of a scenario that doesn't work with this approach).

With this approach, when would you or the passengers ever need to wait for the handles to open?

 

[gg_got_a_tesla]

C'mon, Todd, let's have a flow chart!

 

[Todd Burch]

C'mon, Todd, let's have a flow chart!

Hehe...I'm in England on business and it's almost midnight here...I *should* be getting to bed....

Seriously though smorg, the above approach covers all of your concerns except forgetting to lock the car. (I'm sure the handle's fine exposed to the elements).

So, I'll edit the post above and cover that situation as well .

 

[smorgasbord]

You seem to be set in your opinion, so I'm not sure this matters, but I don't see how that's much different from the oodles of "push to open" things I own. My RX8 has push-to-open overhead thing to store my sunglasses (or garage door remote) in. My stereo cabinet is a push to open glass door. The little door on my TV to get to the manual controls is push to open.

Push to open is pretty common.

Model S isn't push to open. It's push to get the handle that you then pull to open.

The sunglass holder in my Ridgeline is push to open. One push and it opens all the way by itself. That's not what Tesla does, and not what it should do, obviously.

The push to open door to get to the TV's manual controls is a compromise that's OK since you rarely need to get to those controls. My guess is that it's a push to have the door open just enough to get your fingers in so you can pull it open all the way. And then, depending on how you close it, you can end up with the magnets engaged, but the mechanism not closed, or vice versa.

And to keep the mods happy, here's how McLaren solved the problem even an arguably even cooler way:

 

[strider]

Go back to an earlier post where I talk about unloading the car. I made one trip into the house and am now unloading groceries with the fob in my pocket. My son goes to the car to get some more bags, but the handles have since retracted.

So just leave the door open until you've finished unloading. That's what I do in my current cars - who wants to keep opening and closing doors all the time? If you can't for some security reason (you park on the street) then you're going to lock the car when you go inside and so will need the fob upon returning. Seriously, you're into corner cases now in some crazy attempt to be "right". Just let it go until we see the final cars in actual use cases (ie not on display with key fobs being held by Tesla employees standing around or locked in a drawer somewhere).

 

[strider]

And to keep the mods happy, here's how McLaren solved the problem even an arguably even cooler way:

Are you serious? That is WAY less intuitive than Model S. You have to hold your hand in a certain, non-ergonomic way to open the door? If I don't stop sliding my fingers at the exact right spot I'll end up locking the car again? What if I lost one of my fingers in an accident, will the door still work?

 

[spatterso911]

It's more complicated than that. First, you probably mean the car has to be in PARK and unlocked. Otherwise, you'll have handles extending at stoplights and freeway traffic jams - unless the car always automatically locks itself when driven above 5 mph or something. And even then there are issues: if you leave the car unlocked, everyone will instantly know it. And then is there any impact of leaving the handles extended long term, exposed to weather? I'm sure there are other issues as well, including that Elon won't think leaving the handles extended looks "cool." And coolness is what all this nonsense is about, after all.

Well, you are presuming that technology that has been around for ages won't be included in the S's handles. On most cars, when you approach the car, pressing the unlock button, one of two things happens, depending on settings...
1. The driver's side door unlocks
2. All doors unlock

When you get in the car, put it in drive, and drive away, the car locks up (usually at around 5 mph).

Tesla could easily have the handles slide out when the button is pressed in that fashion. Then you simply grab the handle and open the door. Then, when you drive away, the handles can recess, or recess after you close the door (with maybe a 5 second wait - which it appears to do). They can pop out again when you open the door. For those that have the tech package the handles can present themselves as you approach the car.

Keyfobs and memory are different issues, unrelated to the handles. Almost all cars come with only 2 keys and a valet (if offered). Having 3 memory settings is superfluous. Even your X5 didn't come with THREE keys did it? None of mine ever did. There are plenty of ways to designate who's key belongs to whom (BMW uses colored stickers) either by keychain or what not. I wouldn't ever see this as an issue for 99.9% of drivers. Tesla isn't trying to design tech to please the other .1%.

 

[spatterso911]

Are the handles still LED lit as well?

The handle apparently has LED puddle lighting on the bottom side, so we can all assume the handle pops out when you unlock the car.