X driver's door auto open and close

[ecarfan]

The page at Model X Press Kit | Tesla Motors states:
"The industry’s first auto presenting door automatically opens and closes as the driver approaches or exits Model X. Why should the driver ever need to touch the door?"
I roughly understand the scenario where the drivers door opens automatically when the car senses someone approaching the door within a defined range of angles, and the car detects the fob. Elon demonstrated that at the X reveal, though as many have noted the door did not auto close.
However, the statement quoted above appears to indicate that the door will automatically close when the driver seats themselves, and that the door will automatically open and then close without touching it when the driver decides to exit the vehicle.
All that would be cool, assuming that sensors built into the door will prevent damage to adjacent objects or to the human entering and exiting (Elon mentioned the X doors have new sensors), but how does the door detect when the driver wants to exit if the driver does not touch the door? Unless there is a voice command for "open drivers door" (which would take longer to speak and then process and initiate the door movement than it would to simply to push it open), the driver is going to have to touch something to get the door to open.
I suspect there is some hyperbole in the quoted statement above. I am skeptical that the drivers door will open without the driver touching something.

 

[goneskiian]

I believe it closes once you put your foot on the brake which you need to do to shift from Park to Drive. Perhaps it opens if you do the reverse?

 

[ecarfan]

So the "reverse" would be bring the car to a stop, shift into Park and the take your foot off the brake, and then the drivers door would immediately open?
I don't think that would be desirable behavior. In inclement weather one might not want the door to open right away. Or you have just arrived at a location where you are going to pick people up (like your kids) and you don't intend to exit the car.

 

[trils0n]

Just had this featured demo'd to me. You pull the interior handle and the door opens on it's own. Can also pull the handle and the door will close (rather rapidly, almost like slamming shut -- the owner said it feels slower from the inside than it looks from the outside though). Not like other soft close doors that get to the latch, then kinda pause and pull the door in -- it just closes in one motion. No idea if this is the default or only behavior of these doors, but it was how the owner showed them to me.

 

[goneskiian]

So the "reverse" would be bring the car to a stop, shift into Park and the take your foot off the brake, and then the drivers door would immediately open?
I don't think that would be desirable behavior. In inclement weather one might not want the door to open right away. Or you have just arrived at a location where you are going to pick people up (like your kids) and you don't intend to exit the car.

Good point. That thought occurred to me just after hitting "post".

- - - Updated - - -

Just had this featured demo'd to me. You pull the interior handle and the door opens on it's own. Can also pull the handle and the door will close (rather rapidly, almost like slamming shut -- the owner said it feels slower from the inside than it looks from the outside though). Not like other soft close doors that get to the latch, then kinda pause and pull the door in -- it just closes in one motion. No idea if this is the default or only behavior of these doors, but it was how the owner showed them to me.

There we go! Thanks for clarification!

 

[fengshui]

Do we know how the doors will function on Production Vehicles without the premium package? We know that those vehicles will not have traditional, pullable door handles. Here are some ideas:

1) When the handle is pressed from the outside or pulled from the inside, the door releases mechanically slightly (like on most vehicles), and then the user either pushes the door (from the inside) or grabs the edge of the door and pulls (from the outside).
2) When the handle is pressed from the outside or pulled from the inside, the door opens automatically a short distance, and the user can push or pull on the door to change its speed or direction or open it more fully.
3) When the handle is pressed from the outside or pulled from the inside, the door opens automatically fully, and uses the sensors to prevent colliding with objects, users cannot change its speed.
3) When the handle is pressed from the outside or pulled from the inside, the door opens automatically fully, and uses the sensors to prevent colliding with objects, users can pull or push on the door to change its speed or direction.

In all cases above, the door is closed by pulling it closed from the inside, or pushing it closed from the outside, like on a traditional car.

We know that it is not:
4) When the user approaches with the fob in pocket, the door opens automatically, and it closes automatically when the brake is depressed.

 

[bonnie]

You can open the door from the driver's seat by either pulling on the handle (as noted above) or pressing the OPEN button on the touchscreen.

 

[fengshui]

Yeah, I saw that. I'm curious if we know what we'll get on vehicles without the premium package.

Out of curiosity, what does the passenger door do on your X when you open it?

 

[kf93]

do the front doors have the same sonic sensors the FWD have? With large overall width of the X I would be worried about regularly hitting the car next to me in a parking lot.

 

[ecarfan]

My understanding is the the X front doors with the auto open/close feature in the Premium Package option do have sensors so they won't hit anything as they open.

 

[ohmman]

It has been stated in another thread (by MX owner/TMC user jmwang) that the front doors come equipped with resistance sensors, not ultrasonic.

 

[ecarfan]

What is a "resistance sensor"? If it is sensor that is activated when it senses direct physical contact, i.e. "resistance", that would be too late to avoid damage to the door. So I assume it is something else.
This @jmwang is the same member who posted that he was told at delivery of his/her X that the front door and same side Falcon Wing door could not be opened or closed simultaneously because they might hit each other?
Bonnie posted that was an incorrect statement based on how the doors operated on her new X.

 

[ohmman]

This @jmwang is the same member who posted that he was told at delivery of his/her X that the front door and same side Falcon Wing door could not be opened or closed simultaneously because they might hit each other?
Bonnie posted that was an incorrect statement based on how the doors operated on her new X.

I'm aware of this development. I may not be as active are you are here, but I'm definitely lurking around. That said, I've learned to take my time dismissing claims out of hand until I have solid evidence. I've been wrong enough to be cautious with my confidence one way or the other.

 

[highedu]

What is a "resistance sensor"? If it is sensor that is activated when it senses direct physical contact, i.e. "resistance", that would be too late to avoid damage to the door. So I assume it is something else.
This @jmwang is the same member who posted that he was told at delivery of his/her X that the front door and same side Falcon Wing door could not be opened or closed simultaneously because they might hit each other?
Bonnie posted that was an incorrect statement based on how the doors operated on her new X.

damage due to both front and fwd doors closing is still an open question. Unless somebody has tried it or we have an official statement from Tesla saying otherwise, it would be wise to go with what 2 different DS mentioned to 2 different owners taking delivery in 2 different locations.

 

[ecarfan]

damage due to both front and fwd doors closing is still an open question. Unless somebody has tried it or we have an official statement from Tesla saying otherwise...

It is no longer an open question, check that thread and the Model X wiki. New X owner Bonnie has confirmed on her X and with her sources at Tesla that the doors cannot collide during operation.

 

[satheesh.net]

My understanding is the the X front doors with the auto open/close feature in the Premium Package option do have sensors so they won't hit anything as they open.

 

[jmwang]

So a bit of an update on this.
I was instructed at delivery to play catch with my doors around curbs and poles, because they would stop once they hit something (a bit late). I was more or less irate about this, but it was true (and I have the scratches to prove it).
At some point mostly through Bonnie, I learned that the it was strictly true that the front doors have pressure/resistance sensors BUT unbeknownst to the service/delivery guys, they also use falcon ultrasonics to be smart about opening. (Service was very skeptical of this as of yesterday)
However in positive turn, starting around the time autopark became available, the doors started becoming *much* more sensitive about bashing hard items (I think it still hits a human) though I'm not ready to replicate that experiment in the video that has been posted recently.

Yes. my firmware has been the same throughout, and service has yet to touch my car since delivery.

I believe its clear some sensor calibration is always going on (auto park unavailable for awhile for example), and I'm hopeful that my other FWD door problems will magically go away as the sensors get calibrated BUT I have no idea if thats a realistic hope.

Anyone see something similar, or able to confirm? If they had told me at delivery "be extra careful with your doors at beginning but they will get better within a couple of weeks" my first thought would have been "why didn't they calibrate in the factory" but its a ton better than service chasing problems that are going to resolve automatically.

At this stage I don't know if I should keep pushing them to service my car(especially since its unclear that service knows EXACTLY what behavior is supposed to be) or see what develops. Perhaps they are done recalibrating. Perhaps this improvement is imagined (well I have the scratches...)

It has been stated in another thread (by MX owner/TMC user jmwang) that the front doors come equipped with resistance sensors, not ultrasonic.

 

[Lump]

I had a thin strip of XPEL applied to the edge of each car door of our model S, my wife can be careless & I have 2 young kids.

If I was getting an X I would XPEL all doors & seatbacks.

 

[jsollender]

While the post was last visited over a month ago, does anyone yet understand door functionality on non-sig, non-premium vehicles (90D or 70D). While none have yet seen the light of day, will doors auto-present on anything but premium models?

 

[fengshui]

I asked my DS, and he wasn't sure, but thought that the non-premium doors would motorized open and close when the handle was pressed, but not automatically based on proximity. I asked him to send more details if he got them, but haven't heard anything yet.