5 ms·

Arizona driver says he was 'trapped' in hot Tesla after battery died

43 points by perihelions 3y ago

katbyte 3y ago
A car shouldn’t need an “emergency” latch to open the door, it’s dangerous and unsafe for this exact reason. Someone needs for force them to make it like every other car that opens just fine with a dead battery.
- oh_sigh 3y ago
  I have a model y and it's the only car I've ever driven in where I need to give passengers a tutorial on how to do basic things like open the doors(from inside and out). I actually didn't know about the emergency door openers until multiple passengers pulled them after their first time in a Tesla, because no one looks for a button to open a door generally.
- pengaru 3y ago
  It's unbelievable how many poor choices Tesla's cars embody.
  - dangus 3y ago
    Other carmakers also have this feature and it needs to be regulated out of existence.
    - maxbond 3y ago
      Agreed. Safety features should be prominently marked as safety features, it's not a particularly heavy handed or onerous regulation.
      - solardev 3y ago
        How did we go from door handles to needing safety regulations to reveal the secret exit button? Why did the car need to feel like an escape room in first place? I'll never understand some of these decisions... like granted the car looks sleek, but it's so hard to use day to day
- grepfru_it 3y ago
  I spent the past 15 minutes looking into this and this exists for many cars, most of them on the luxury end[0]. You can find many stories in forums for Ferrari, Maserati, Lamborghini etc. Most traditional car makers took the VW/Audi route which allows for double pulls of the doorhandle to unlock. This is still an "emergency latch" and just one of many types that will become increasingly common on any car that is dominated by electronics. The chilling effect is now all car makers will make obscene attempts to remind the driver they can still exit in an emergency. Think of those yellow pulls cords to open your trunk from the inside. [0] https://www.motor1.com/news/265995/dead-battery-man-locked-in-cadillac-xlr/ https://www.motor1.com/news/265995/dead-battery-man-locked-i...
  - deleted 3y ago
    [deleted]
jplona 3y ago
For those wondering, from the article it looks like he wasn't aware of the manual door release (https://www.tesla.com/ownersmanual/model3/en_au/GUID-7A32EC01-A17E-42CC-A15B-2E0A39FD07AB.html https://www.tesla.com/ownersmanual/model3/en_au/GUID-7A32EC0...).
- marcod 3y ago
  which is different on every Tesla model...
  - dymk 3y ago
    Edit: You know what, nevermind. Tesla is about as flame-baity a topic as abortion on HN.
    - mplewis 3y ago
      It sounds like you're making excuses for the unintuitive interface.
      - deleted 3y ago
        [deleted]
    - nkrisc 3y ago
      Not everyone who is sitting in a Tesla is the owner of the Tesla.
      - actionfromafar 3y ago
        You will own nothing and be happy. Edit: I know passenger, I just wanted to point out the absurdity of requiring intimate familiarity with a door to be able to open it, extending to drivers. Think car sharing pools etc, something the future will have more of. Next up - in the next firmware update after fully self-driving, comes fully self-opening door!
        3y ago
rootusrootus 3y ago
The very first time my elderly mother rode in my Model 3 she opened the door with the emergency release instead of the button. That’s how obvious the mechanical release is. There’s only so much you can do, some people are still going to manage to injure themselves.
- sourcecodeplz 3y ago
  Sure but when you're panicking obvious things don't seem so obvious anymore.
  - tailspin2019 3y ago
    Yeah I think there is some research showing how aircraft passengers can easily get confused about how to unfasten seat belts in an emergency situation. (Or at least that this is taken into account in the design of the seatbelts). Your brain can switch into a very different mode in “stress” situations, especially if it’s a scenario you’ve not had repeated training for. Even in normal circumstances having two possible ways to open the door seems… unintuitive.
    - deleted 3y ago
      [deleted]
  - rootusrootus 3y ago
    Right, I agree, which is why I think there's only so much you can do. At a certain point someone is going to panic and lose all their ability to reason or see otherwise obvious things. It's an edge case. Though I have to say, being unable to open the doors with the button doesn't seem panic-worthy. I'd be irritated at first, then intrigued, then I'd just pull the manual release and put in a service appointment to fix the car. Being unable to get out instantly is very rarely an emergency.
- BooneJS 3y ago
  My son found the emergency release before I did.
- 3y ago
KingMachiavelli 3y ago
Interesting, this is the first time I've read about someone not knowing about the door release since it's often mistaken as the primary door latch. It's located in a spot most regular cars have the door handle... the door open button is what's uncommon.
playa1 3y ago
I have a Tesla Model Y and I like to do UX testing the first time they ride in my car. People often have a harder time figuring out how to use the external door handles than getting out. People more often find the manual door release before the automatic button. I feel bad for the guy that got stuck but I think this is more of a panic situation where he felt there wasn’t a way out before trying to find the manual release. [edit] to be fair both button and manual methods are very user friendly. They are both in very common hand resting locations. After you use the button once you never need to think about it again.
- actionfromafar 3y ago
  Good thing humans aren’t prone to panic in stressful situations!
fsckboy 3y ago
nothing to do with a Tesla, but a few years ago my wife fob-locked me into her BMW X5 while she went shopping, and I could not figure out how to get out, so I just waited. It was not a hot day, thankfully. Computers assisting me, great. Battery powered computers controlling me? not so much. -- Dave
- lucb1e 3y ago
  And there was no door handle, emergency or no, on that model? Like after she got back, she didn't point one out or so, I mean. I'm not familiar with that vehicle myself (noone I know drives BMW)
gcheong 3y ago
I guess if you don’t want to read the manual then at least carry a safety glass hammer with seat belt cutter in the car, which is probably a good idea in any case.
- lucb1e 3y ago
  I was thinking the same, but maybe this is not as common if you don't live in places with a lot of water? I'm Dutch after all, so the thing meant for water escape coming to mind first might be a me thing
  - gcheong 3y ago
    I think they are also more generally useful in case of an accident where you find yourself pinned and the seatbelt won’t release or the door is damaged and won’t open. At least that is what a friend said they wish they had had when they saw a car that was in an accident and on fire but they couldn’t get into the car to help.
- maxbond 3y ago
  The only times I ever ride in a Tesla is when I take an Uber. Until I'm matched with a driver, I don't know what car I will be riding in. Do you suggest I read the manual for each car I may possibly Uber in? (I don't carry a window breaker/seatbelt cutter but it is a reasonable suggestion for everyone I think.)
  - gcheong 3y ago
    Yeah of course you wouldn’t in the cases where you’re using an Uber or taxi, at least I don’t, and the problem isn’t limited to just Teslas but potentially any car with an electronic door opening mechanism. I assumed we were considering people who own (or perhaps rent) cars and have the manuals for them.
    - maxbond 3y ago
      For sure, I was more thinking, "people who may become trapped."
dinom 3y ago
> He later learned a separate 12-volt battery in his Tesla Model Y died after he opened the door, and he said he was trapped inside on a 100º day for 20 minutes. The low-voltage battery powers what’s inside a Tesla including the doors, computer display, and windows. I won't speak to the usability of the "emergency latch". But, it certainly sounds odd that there's a separate low-voltage battery in addition to the main battery.
- rootusrootus 3y ago
  > But, it certainly sounds odd that there's a separate low-voltage battery in addition to the main battery. That's normal. It's good to have a low voltage system to run all the regular electronics around the car that you don't need to expose to high voltage. And to operate things like the contactors for the traction battery.
FpUser 3y ago
There is no way I would buy a car that does not have simple manual door unlock from inside.
deleted 3y ago
[deleted]
ajdude 3y ago
Also see: Driver says he was 'trapped' in hot Tesla after battery died https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36964921 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36964921 14 points by ajdude 2 days ago | 20 comments

43 points by perihelions 3y ago

A car shouldn’t need an “emergency” latch to open the door, it’s dangerous and unsafe for this exact reason. Someone needs for force them to make it like every other car that opens just fine with a dead battery.

oh_sigh 3y ago
I have a model y and it's the only car I've ever driven in where I need to give passengers a tutorial on how to do basic things like open the doors(from inside and out). I actually didn't know about the emergency door openers until multiple passengers pulled them after their first time in a Tesla, because no one looks for a button to open a door generally.
pengaru 3y ago
It's unbelievable how many poor choices Tesla's cars embody.
- dangus 3y ago
  Other carmakers also have this feature and it needs to be regulated out of existence.
  - maxbond 3y ago
    Agreed. Safety features should be prominently marked as safety features, it's not a particularly heavy handed or onerous regulation.
    - solardev 3y ago
      How did we go from door handles to needing safety regulations to reveal the secret exit button? Why did the car need to feel like an escape room in first place? I'll never understand some of these decisions... like granted the car looks sleek, but it's so hard to use day to day
grepfru_it 3y ago
I spent the past 15 minutes looking into this and this exists for many cars, most of them on the luxury end[0]. You can find many stories in forums for Ferrari, Maserati, Lamborghini etc. Most traditional car makers took the VW/Audi route which allows for double pulls of the doorhandle to unlock. This is still an "emergency latch" and just one of many types that will become increasingly common on any car that is dominated by electronics. The chilling effect is now all car makers will make obscene attempts to remind the driver they can still exit in an emergency. Think of those yellow pulls cords to open your trunk from the inside. [0] https://www.motor1.com/news/265995/dead-battery-man-locked-in-cadillac-xlr/ https://www.motor1.com/news/265995/dead-battery-man-locked-i...
- deleted 3y ago
  [deleted]

jplona 3y ago

For those wondering, from the article it looks like he wasn't aware of the manual door release (https://www.tesla.com/ownersmanual/model3/en_au/GUID-7A32EC01-A17E-42CC-A15B-2E0A39FD07AB.html https://www.tesla.com/ownersmanual/model3/en_au/GUID-7A32EC0...).

marcod 3y ago
which is different on every Tesla model...
- dymk 3y ago
  Edit: You know what, nevermind. Tesla is about as flame-baity a topic as abortion on HN.
  - mplewis 3y ago
    It sounds like you're making excuses for the unintuitive interface.
    - deleted 3y ago
      [deleted]
  - nkrisc 3y ago
    Not everyone who is sitting in a Tesla is the owner of the Tesla.
    - actionfromafar 3y ago
      You will own nothing and be happy. Edit: I know passenger, I just wanted to point out the absurdity of requiring intimate familiarity with a door to be able to open it, extending to drivers. Think car sharing pools etc, something the future will have more of. Next up - in the next firmware update after fully self-driving, comes fully self-opening door!
      - 3y ago

rootusrootus 3y ago

The very first time my elderly mother rode in my Model 3 she opened the door with the emergency release instead of the button. That’s how obvious the mechanical release is. There’s only so much you can do, some people are still going to manage to injure themselves.

sourcecodeplz 3y ago
Sure but when you're panicking obvious things don't seem so obvious anymore.
- tailspin2019 3y ago
  Yeah I think there is some research showing how aircraft passengers can easily get confused about how to unfasten seat belts in an emergency situation. (Or at least that this is taken into account in the design of the seatbelts). Your brain can switch into a very different mode in “stress” situations, especially if it’s a scenario you’ve not had repeated training for. Even in normal circumstances having two possible ways to open the door seems… unintuitive.
  - deleted 3y ago
    [deleted]
- rootusrootus 3y ago
  Right, I agree, which is why I think there's only so much you can do. At a certain point someone is going to panic and lose all their ability to reason or see otherwise obvious things. It's an edge case. Though I have to say, being unable to open the doors with the button doesn't seem panic-worthy. I'd be irritated at first, then intrigued, then I'd just pull the manual release and put in a service appointment to fix the car. Being unable to get out instantly is very rarely an emergency.
BooneJS 3y ago
My son found the emergency release before I did.
3y ago

KingMachiavelli 3y ago

Interesting, this is the first time I've read about someone not knowing about the door release since it's often mistaken as the primary door latch. It's located in a spot most regular cars have the door handle... the door open button is what's uncommon.

playa1 3y ago

I have a Tesla Model Y and I like to do UX testing the first time they ride in my car. People often have a harder time figuring out how to use the external door handles than getting out. People more often find the manual door release before the automatic button. I feel bad for the guy that got stuck but I think this is more of a panic situation where he felt there wasn’t a way out before trying to find the manual release. [edit] to be fair both button and manual methods are very user friendly. They are both in very common hand resting locations. After you use the button once you never need to think about it again.

actionfromafar 3y ago
Good thing humans aren’t prone to panic in stressful situations!

fsckboy 3y ago

nothing to do with a Tesla, but a few years ago my wife fob-locked me into her BMW X5 while she went shopping, and I could not figure out how to get out, so I just waited. It was not a hot day, thankfully. Computers assisting me, great. Battery powered computers controlling me? not so much. -- Dave

lucb1e 3y ago
And there was no door handle, emergency or no, on that model? Like after she got back, she didn't point one out or so, I mean. I'm not familiar with that vehicle myself (noone I know drives BMW)

gcheong 3y ago

I guess if you don’t want to read the manual then at least carry a safety glass hammer with seat belt cutter in the car, which is probably a good idea in any case.

lucb1e 3y ago
I was thinking the same, but maybe this is not as common if you don't live in places with a lot of water? I'm Dutch after all, so the thing meant for water escape coming to mind first might be a me thing
- gcheong 3y ago
  I think they are also more generally useful in case of an accident where you find yourself pinned and the seatbelt won’t release or the door is damaged and won’t open. At least that is what a friend said they wish they had had when they saw a car that was in an accident and on fire but they couldn’t get into the car to help.
maxbond 3y ago
The only times I ever ride in a Tesla is when I take an Uber. Until I'm matched with a driver, I don't know what car I will be riding in. Do you suggest I read the manual for each car I may possibly Uber in? (I don't carry a window breaker/seatbelt cutter but it is a reasonable suggestion for everyone I think.)
- gcheong 3y ago
  Yeah of course you wouldn’t in the cases where you’re using an Uber or taxi, at least I don’t, and the problem isn’t limited to just Teslas but potentially any car with an electronic door opening mechanism. I assumed we were considering people who own (or perhaps rent) cars and have the manuals for them.
  - maxbond 3y ago
    For sure, I was more thinking, "people who may become trapped."

dinom 3y ago

> He later learned a separate 12-volt battery in his Tesla Model Y died after he opened the door, and he said he was trapped inside on a 100º day for 20 minutes. The low-voltage battery powers what’s inside a Tesla including the doors, computer display, and windows. I won't speak to the usability of the "emergency latch". But, it certainly sounds odd that there's a separate low-voltage battery in addition to the main battery.

rootusrootus 3y ago
> But, it certainly sounds odd that there's a separate low-voltage battery in addition to the main battery. That's normal. It's good to have a low voltage system to run all the regular electronics around the car that you don't need to expose to high voltage. And to operate things like the contactors for the traction battery.

FpUser 3y ago

There is no way I would buy a car that does not have simple manual door unlock from inside.

deleted 3y ago

[deleted]

ajdude 3y ago

Also see: Driver says he was 'trapped' in hot Tesla after battery died https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36964921 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36964921 14 points by ajdude 2 days ago | 20 comments