UN safety warning over Tesla-style car door handles linked to deaths.
"Safety experts have raised concerns over the reliability of Tesla-style car door handles after they were blamed for the deaths of passengers.
Car safety officials at the United Nations have sounded the alarm following incidents of people burning to death after they were trapped in vehicles after a crash.They warned that the electronic handles, which sit flush on a car door, may not open following an accident if a battery-powered vehicle loses power. The experts noted that “in real-world crashes, retractable door handles may not open”.
Concerns have been raised just weeks after Tesla was sued in the US over claims that its Cybertruck car doors failed after an accident last November, leading to the deaths of three people who were trapped when the vehicle caught fire. Pioneered by Tesla, hidden door handles have since been introduced on dozens of other vehicles, and are designed to pop out when pressed or when they detect a car key nearby.
As well as external changes, many vehicles have now also replaced internal handles with electronic buttons or switches. Some vehicles have back-up mechanical unlocking features, but these are often difficult to locate. In some Tesla models, a small pulley is hidden under a catch by the passenger door that is supposed to be used in the event of a door fault. But safety experts have warned that these fail-safe systems can be complicated to operate, particularly in a high-pressure crash scenario. “Instructions in owners’ manuals ... are no practical solution at an early stage of rescue,” the experts added. German technical experts at a UN safety committee proposed new standards in September that would require door mechanisms to remain operational if the vehicle loses power.
While flush door handles are not exclusive to electric cars, they were pioneered by Tesla in 2012 to give its vehicles their sleek look. In the US, transport officials have been investigating whether Tesla’s door designs have been trapping children in cars, forcing some owners to resort to breaking windows to get them out. In one incident reported to the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, a husband and wife were trapped outside their car while their two-year-old child was in the vehicle for more than 15 minutes in temperatures of more than 38 degrees. Steve Gooding, director of the RAC Foundation, said style should not “come at the cost of safety and never should form be prioritised ahead of function”.
https://archive.ph/XaJrf
"Safety experts have raised concerns over the reliability of Tesla-style car door handles after they were blamed for the deaths of passengers.
Car safety officials at the United Nations have sounded the alarm following incidents of people burning to death after they were trapped in vehicles after a crash.They warned that the electronic handles, which sit flush on a car door, may not open following an accident if a battery-powered vehicle loses power. The experts noted that “in real-world crashes, retractable door handles may not open”.
Concerns have been raised just weeks after Tesla was sued in the US over claims that its Cybertruck car doors failed after an accident last November, leading to the deaths of three people who were trapped when the vehicle caught fire. Pioneered by Tesla, hidden door handles have since been introduced on dozens of other vehicles, and are designed to pop out when pressed or when they detect a car key nearby.
As well as external changes, many vehicles have now also replaced internal handles with electronic buttons or switches. Some vehicles have back-up mechanical unlocking features, but these are often difficult to locate. In some Tesla models, a small pulley is hidden under a catch by the passenger door that is supposed to be used in the event of a door fault. But safety experts have warned that these fail-safe systems can be complicated to operate, particularly in a high-pressure crash scenario. “Instructions in owners’ manuals ... are no practical solution at an early stage of rescue,” the experts added. German technical experts at a UN safety committee proposed new standards in September that would require door mechanisms to remain operational if the vehicle loses power.
While flush door handles are not exclusive to electric cars, they were pioneered by Tesla in 2012 to give its vehicles their sleek look. In the US, transport officials have been investigating whether Tesla’s door designs have been trapping children in cars, forcing some owners to resort to breaking windows to get them out. In one incident reported to the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, a husband and wife were trapped outside their car while their two-year-old child was in the vehicle for more than 15 minutes in temperatures of more than 38 degrees. Steve Gooding, director of the RAC Foundation, said style should not “come at the cost of safety and never should form be prioritised ahead of function”.
https://archive.ph/XaJrf
