5 ms·

Driver says he was 'trapped' in hot Tesla after battery died

15 points by ajdude 3y ago

yuppie_scum 3y ago
There’s a mechanical release on the door that you’d have to be pretty oblivious not to find
- josephcsible 3y ago
  In particular, the emergency mechanical release is so easy to find that most first-time passengers tend to think that it's the normal way to open the door.
  - wudangmonk 3y ago
    First time finding out that there is a button that opens the door. I've always been using the handle to get out.
    - josephcsible 3y ago
      Doesn't your car give you a warning on the screen every time you use the handle?
      - hulitu 3y ago
        > Doesn't your car give you a warning on the screen every time you use the handle? Warning: Door's Handle is only there for emergencies. Use the door's window to get out of the car. UX design 1.0 /s
- m463 3y ago
  model s - I would agree with you. It has a weird but better design. model 3 - they cheaped out this car. the manual release is non-obvious. I don't think there is a manual release for the rear doors. There is so much corner cutting with the model 3. I rented a model 3 recently and they gave me a keycard as a key. I could not figure out how to lock the car door. I eventually googled it, and then locked the door, and got out. Only to find it didn't stay locked and have the door open while locking it.
  - josephcsible 3y ago
    > model 3 - they cheaped out this car. the manual release is non-obvious. Model 3 owner here. That couldn't be further from the truth. The manual release is so obvious that almost everyone accidentally uses it instead of the regular button the first time they try to open my door from the inside.
    - theluketaylor 3y ago
      I haven't had a single passenger in my model 3 who can find the door release button without prompting, usually multiple different times. It's about 50/50 going for the manual release and staring at the door looking for a way out. Plenty of people have been able to figure out how to get into the car without help. No one has been able to get out.
  - aydyn 3y ago
    What are you talking about? The manual release on the M3 is the biggest object on the door handle. Stop spreading misinformation.
    - aydyn 3y ago
      Nice, downvotes for correcting literal misinformation. Slow clap hackernews.
  - ehutch79 3y ago
    https://youtu.be/mu-tJc-BgaI https://youtu.be/mu-tJc-BgaI
miked85 3y ago
The odd door handle design is almost enough to trap many.
ggm 3y ago
I am surprised it isn't a requirement for all doors to have an obvious, unhidden, mechanical release to meet compliance for road safety. toggle-able childlock disable/enable levers exist in the doors to prevent doors from being opened as a "tuning", but that does not negate the (to me) requirement for a door to have a mechanical opener, disabled or not. (this only applies to the "rear doors don't have one" and "its there but non-obvious" cases)
didntknowya 3y ago
Human factors is a big part of the UX for vehicles and machines and frequently overlooked in new products. It is especially important for emergency situations where what you assume is logical can be thrown out the window when the user is under pressure.
- wudangmonk 3y ago
  people can drown in water they can stand when they walked in on their own two feet, how do you human factor that in into your UX?
  - deleted 3y ago
    [deleted]
rhaway84773 3y ago
Some SUVs come with a hammer to break a window if the electronics stop working. Something else I’ve heard, which I’m not sure is true, is that the metallic ends of the headrest that go into the seats can also be used for this purpose. This has been true even before we digitized the entire car experience. For example, even more mechanical systems would not work if a car was drowning. Which is a good reason the Cybertruck’s “unbreakable” windows are an awful idea.
NoZebra120vClip 3y ago
My father was a huge stalwart of manual window cranks and door locks. We had autos from 1978, 1980, 1986, and 1988. Parents paid cash and never took out auto loans. Anyway, Dad would never ever touch a vehicle with power windows or locks. He was OK with power steering. Once, my 1980 Corolla went in for major engine repairs, and our loaner was a Stanza sedan with "power everything". Dad was nonplussed. In fact, he didn't allow me to drive it. Dad finally had to give in, of course. I believe it was around 2004, when they needed a new station wagon, and there was just nothing viable on the market that didn't have power windows and power locks. But you can bet your bottom dollar that Dad knows where all the manual releases are, and he probably practices on them on a regular basis. Dad has also kept a fuel log in the car since at least 1978. Every time you fill the tank, you need to log the date, mileage, gallons pumped, etc. and then you push the odometer reset button. Every time. Dad ran an auto repair shop with his father, way back in the day. The latter was a test pilot and elevator designer. I come from more than one long, long line of slide-rule-carrying male engineer geeks.
- Shawnj2 3y ago
  Most automatic door cars have a manual release
  - NoZebra120vClip 3y ago
    I see you using present tense there and I wonder what you mean by present tense, because although you replied to my comment, your present tense clearly does not apply to the content of my comment, so I suppose you are speaking in generalities to counteract the headline?
    - Shawnj2 3y ago
      You’re reading too much into it. I mean both cars in the past and ones that currently exist, basically every car I’ve been in with automatic locks had a manual release, even ones from 20 years ago. The release has gotten less prominent with time but it’s still there

15 points by ajdude 3y ago

yuppie_scum 3y ago

There’s a mechanical release on the door that you’d have to be pretty oblivious not to find

josephcsible 3y ago
In particular, the emergency mechanical release is so easy to find that most first-time passengers tend to think that it's the normal way to open the door.
- wudangmonk 3y ago
  First time finding out that there is a button that opens the door. I've always been using the handle to get out.
  - josephcsible 3y ago
    Doesn't your car give you a warning on the screen every time you use the handle?
    - hulitu 3y ago
      > Doesn't your car give you a warning on the screen every time you use the handle? Warning: Door's Handle is only there for emergencies. Use the door's window to get out of the car. UX design 1.0 /s
m463 3y ago
model s - I would agree with you. It has a weird but better design. model 3 - they cheaped out this car. the manual release is non-obvious. I don't think there is a manual release for the rear doors. There is so much corner cutting with the model 3. I rented a model 3 recently and they gave me a keycard as a key. I could not figure out how to lock the car door. I eventually googled it, and then locked the door, and got out. Only to find it didn't stay locked and have the door open while locking it.
- josephcsible 3y ago
  > model 3 - they cheaped out this car. the manual release is non-obvious. Model 3 owner here. That couldn't be further from the truth. The manual release is so obvious that almost everyone accidentally uses it instead of the regular button the first time they try to open my door from the inside.
  - theluketaylor 3y ago
    I haven't had a single passenger in my model 3 who can find the door release button without prompting, usually multiple different times. It's about 50/50 going for the manual release and staring at the door looking for a way out. Plenty of people have been able to figure out how to get into the car without help. No one has been able to get out.
- aydyn 3y ago
  What are you talking about? The manual release on the M3 is the biggest object on the door handle. Stop spreading misinformation.
  - aydyn 3y ago
    Nice, downvotes for correcting literal misinformation. Slow clap hackernews.
- ehutch79 3y ago
  https://youtu.be/mu-tJc-BgaI https://youtu.be/mu-tJc-BgaI

miked85 3y ago

The odd door handle design is almost enough to trap many.

ggm 3y ago

I am surprised it isn't a requirement for all doors to have an obvious, unhidden, mechanical release to meet compliance for road safety. toggle-able childlock disable/enable levers exist in the doors to prevent doors from being opened as a "tuning", but that does not negate the (to me) requirement for a door to have a mechanical opener, disabled or not. (this only applies to the "rear doors don't have one" and "its there but non-obvious" cases)

didntknowya 3y ago

Human factors is a big part of the UX for vehicles and machines and frequently overlooked in new products. It is especially important for emergency situations where what you assume is logical can be thrown out the window when the user is under pressure.

wudangmonk 3y ago
people can drown in water they can stand when they walked in on their own two feet, how do you human factor that in into your UX?
- deleted 3y ago
  [deleted]

rhaway84773 3y ago

Some SUVs come with a hammer to break a window if the electronics stop working. Something else I’ve heard, which I’m not sure is true, is that the metallic ends of the headrest that go into the seats can also be used for this purpose. This has been true even before we digitized the entire car experience. For example, even more mechanical systems would not work if a car was drowning. Which is a good reason the Cybertruck’s “unbreakable” windows are an awful idea.

NoZebra120vClip 3y ago

My father was a huge stalwart of manual window cranks and door locks. We had autos from 1978, 1980, 1986, and 1988. Parents paid cash and never took out auto loans. Anyway, Dad would never ever touch a vehicle with power windows or locks. He was OK with power steering. Once, my 1980 Corolla went in for major engine repairs, and our loaner was a Stanza sedan with "power everything". Dad was nonplussed. In fact, he didn't allow me to drive it. Dad finally had to give in, of course. I believe it was around 2004, when they needed a new station wagon, and there was just nothing viable on the market that didn't have power windows and power locks. But you can bet your bottom dollar that Dad knows where all the manual releases are, and he probably practices on them on a regular basis. Dad has also kept a fuel log in the car since at least 1978. Every time you fill the tank, you need to log the date, mileage, gallons pumped, etc. and then you push the odometer reset button. Every time. Dad ran an auto repair shop with his father, way back in the day. The latter was a test pilot and elevator designer. I come from more than one long, long line of slide-rule-carrying male engineer geeks.

Shawnj2 3y ago
Most automatic door cars have a manual release
- NoZebra120vClip 3y ago
  I see you using present tense there and I wonder what you mean by present tense, because although you replied to my comment, your present tense clearly does not apply to the content of my comment, so I suppose you are speaking in generalities to counteract the headline?
  - Shawnj2 3y ago
    You’re reading too much into it. I mean both cars in the past and ones that currently exist, basically every car I’ve been in with automatic locks had a manual release, even ones from 20 years ago. The release has gotten less prominent with time but it’s still there