For decades, door handles on the outside of cars and trucks were functional and easy to understand. And then Tesla came along and tried something different — a less overtly intuitive handle design that lay flush with the rest of the door. Push on one end and the other side pops out, allowing you to pull on it and gain entry. If my own experience is any indication, this design has also led to a few awkward moments in the “wait, what do I do here?” vein.
Now, a report has emerged that that distinctive design may be heading back to the drawing board. Tesla’s longtime chief designer, Franz von Holzhausen, shared that information during an interview for the Bloomberg podcast Hot Pursuit!. “We’re working on it right now,” von Holzhausen said when asked about concerns over door handles — issues that have been raised by regulators in both the U.S. and China.
Von Holzhausen also noted that the doors also had a mechanical release. He mentioned the possibility of combining the mechanical release with the existing powered system. “The muscle memory of reaching for something every day is there, and so you intuitively grab the same thing and you’re free,” he said.
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Tesla is appealing the ruling in a recent lawsuitWhat has drawn such scrutiny to the automaker’s door designs? As Natalie Neff reports at Autoweek, the NHTSA has received a number of complaints from parents who had to smash their vehicle’s windows in order to free a child trapped in the back seat. Earlier this month, Road & Track reported that the Chinese government is pondering a ban on fully retractable handles, citing similar safety concerns.
Tesla isn’t the only automaker dealing with this design choice — but it is especially prominent on Tesla’s vehicles. We’ll see what this emphasis on safety yields in terms of an updated design in the months to come.
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