A car door handle, not any car not any handle, but from a Tesla Model S

[NorthSky]

"The electric door handles in the Tesla Model S manage to turn a super-simple mechanism into a super-involved electronic process you’ll need an expert to explain. Fortunately, Bozi Tatarevic is an expert, and he made the video above after acquiring a Model S door handle in a salvage yard.

Tesla, being the “different” kind of company it is, decided the cool factor was worth everything you see here. Tatarevic takes the handle apart piece by piece and shows how each part serves a purpose toward the greater goal of ... having your door handle pop out and greet you.

With complexity comes unreliability, however, and this door handle looks like it could fail in many more ways than a traditional handle could, and at $900 for a replacement unit, it’s not a problem anybody would enjoy having. Let your inner door nerd loose and check this video out. Who knows, all car door handles could be like this one day ..."

 

[amirm]

Amazing complexity for such a small bit of luxury (i.e. handle automatically coming out). No doubt source of unreliability.

We have a similar mechanism on our dishwasher. When it finishes its cycle, it opens the door to let the steam out and with it, have the dishes dry better. So it has good usage. Alas, after a few years of operation, that part broke. Just like the Tesla handle, it has sensors to detect that it is not working and would refuse to run. The company "Mile" was a pain to deal with as an end-customer. Eventually I traced the problem to the motor being bad. And even found the source of the motor in Germany. The motor was $30 Euros but by then I had taken the door handle mechanism apart and put together so many times some of the tabs broke. So had to pay $200 to buy the whole assembly.

Back to Tesla, it was smart of them to have someone else make and assemble that module (likely in China). Would have added so much expense to do it here. Good use of Japanese parts there (motor, Nichicon capacitor, etc.) but ultimately a complex device that is bound to break in a shaking car at extreme temperatures.

 

[Frank Dernie]

After spending the first 6 years of my working life on noise and vibration R&D the rest of my career until I retired 7 years ago has been designing and running racing cars. One of the lessons I learned early on is that the simplest solution is always the best, but also the most difficult to design. Only the very best designers devise the simple solution and once done it seems obvious even though it was not before.
I am less interested in buying a Tesla now than I was. This sort of, presumable marketing, gimmickry is a shame when so much of what they have done is ground breaking.

 

[amirm]

Stepping back, cars are incredible products. Having something toss around so much, with such harsh environmental conditions and work day and in day out is just amazing.

 

[Blumlein 88]

After spending the first 6 years of my working life on noise and vibration R&D the rest of my career until I retired 7 years ago has been designing and running racing cars. One of the lessons I learned early on is that the simplest solution is always the best, but also the most difficult to design. Only the very best designers devise the simple solution and once done it seems obvious even though it was not before.
I am less interested in buying a Tesla now than I was. This sort of, presumable marketing, gimmickry is a shame when so much of what they have done is ground breaking.

I have worked on nothing at the level you have. But I have the same experience and opinion. Simplicity (not always easy to come up with) in machinery is an awesome bonus.

Now some electronics and the now near trivial cost of using computers has allowed some impressive gadgetry. It even can mostly overcome the complexity. But complexity if unneeded is always a big minus. Especially doubly so if it is a primary necessary function. The auto dimming mirrors in my low to the ground sports car are really nice. However, if they fail to work all that happens is I have fully functional regular mirrors that cause no functional issue. If my door handle fails to let me in my car, that is a whole different problem as it might make my car useless to me for a gimmick.

A friend has a Jaguar that has the AC vents on the dash powered. Why? So that they close when you turn off the ignition. When you start the car, they blink open and closed 3 times to greet you back into your car before staying open. You have some computer connected sensors, servo-motors and wires that serve no other purpose than this not even trivial function. It isn't even cute to me the very first time. I was gobsmacked that someone did this incredibly stupid thing. If it fails, your vents stay closed compromising the climate control of your fancy luxury car. Yuck.

 

[NorthSky]

The external angle ...

 

[amirm]

He says it is cool. It is uncool that there is that momentary delay before it unlocks the door.

 

[RayDunzl]

My 23 year old door handles still work. And with no delay.

No Sale!

 

[Don Hills]

My 23 year old door handles still work. And with no delay. ...

I thought you were older than that?

 

[Wombat]

Are Tesla owners expected to kiss the proffered hand(le)?

 

[Frank Dernie]

A friend has a Jaguar that has the AC vents on the dash powered. Why? So that they close when you turn off the ignition. When you start the car, they blink open and closed 3 times to greet you back into your car before staying open. You have some computer connected sensors, servo-motors and wires that serve no other purpose than this not even trivial function. It isn't even cute to me the very first time. I was gobsmacked that someone did this incredibly stupid thing. If it fails, your vents stay closed compromising the climate control of your fancy luxury car. Yuck.

I hadn't realised Jag had done something so pathetic! My brother got the Jaguar XF Estate car when he got a dog but really hated it to drive and changed it very soon.
I had a TVR Griffith which had solenoid operating door catches. It was just a gimmick but if the battery was flat - and a TVR Griffith is not an every day car - the only fix was to remove the rear number plate to get access to the boot where the battery was located. It only happened a couple of times but it was very irritating.

Pointless gimmicks which make a car heavier always annoy me.

I am a big fan of the potential efficiency of the way hybrid cars can be engineered to regenerate the battery using energy that would usually be wasted. I also like CVTs for their efficiency (unlike motoring journalists who aren't engineers and seem to dislike anything they don't understand) I bought a Toyota Prius 12 years ago, mainly to check out the E-CVT, expecting not to keep it long - we still have it, superb car but s-l-o-w.
I have been looking for something a bit quicker and with a better ride quality so I have been checking out the Tesla and the Merc S500e plug-in hybrid. The Tesla is still very expensive used, and the Merc, which is good value used has miriads of gadgets and functions which may go wrong. I am probably going to stick to my old simpler 1991 Merc, despite the appalling fuel consumption.

 

[Blumlein 88]

I hadn't realised Jag had done something so pathetic! My brother got the Jaguar XF Estate car when he got a dog but really hated it to drive and changed it very soon.
I had a TVR Griffith which had solenoid operating door catches. It was just a gimmick but if the battery was flat - and a TVR Griffith is not an every day car - the only fix was to remove the rear number plate to get access to the boot where the battery was located. It only happened a couple of times but it was very irritating.

Pointless gimmicks which make a car heavier always annoy me.

I am a big fan of the potential efficiency of the way hybrid cars can be engineered to regenerate the battery using energy that would usually be wasted. I also like CVTs for their efficiency (unlike motoring journalists who aren't engineers and seem to dislike anything they don't understand) I bought a Toyota Prius 12 years ago, mainly to check out the E-CVT, expecting not to keep it long - we still have it, superb car but s-l-o-w.
I have been looking for something a bit quicker and with a better ride quality so I have been checking out the Tesla and the Merc S500e plug-in hybrid. The Tesla is still very expensive used, and the Merc, which is good value used has miriads of gadgets and functions which may go wrong. I am probably going to stick to my old simpler 1991 Merc, despite the appalling fuel consumption.

I also didn't mention the popup knob for the transmission gear selection. If your battery drains, well there is this procedure to pull a small panel, and pull a tab attached to a cable to be able to operate it. Necessary if you have other troubles and need to tow the car onto a car hauler.

 

[Wombat]

I hadn't realised Jag had done something so pathetic! My brother got the Jaguar XF Estate car when he got a dog but really hated it to drive and changed it very soon.
I had a TVR Griffith which had solenoid operating door catches. It was just a gimmick but if the battery was flat - and a TVR Griffith is not an every day car - the only fix was to remove the rear number plate to get access to the boot where the battery was located. It only happened a couple of times but it was very irritating.

Pointless gimmicks which make a car heavier always annoy me.

I am a big fan of the potential efficiency of the way hybrid cars can be engineered to regenerate the battery using energy that would usually be wasted. I also like CVTs for their efficiency (unlike motoring journalists who aren't engineers and seem to dislike anything they don't understand) I bought a Toyota Prius 12 years ago, mainly to check out the E-CVT, expecting not to keep it long - we still have it, superb car but s-l-o-w.
I have been looking for something a bit quicker and with a better ride quality so I have been checking out the Tesla and the Merc S500e plug-in hybrid. The Tesla is still very expensive used, and the Merc, which is good value used has miriads of gadgets and functions which may go wrong. I am probably going to stick to my old simpler 1991 Merc, despite the appalling fuel consumption.

The illusion of tesla cheap mileage or how the resale value will drop once the not talked-about subject of 'fuel tank' replacement becomes general knowledge:

https://forums.tesla.com/en_AU/forum/forums/real-long-term-cost-vs-battery-life

The upside is that advances in battery technology will eventually produce cheaper battery-packs that outlast the cars. Then, again, another power pack technology may appear.

 

[Frank Dernie]

The illusion of tesla cheap mileage or how the resale value will drop once the not talked-about subject of 'fuel tank' replacement becomes general knowledge:

https://forums.tesla.com/en_AU/forum/forums/real-long-term-cost-vs-battery-life

The upside is that advances in battery technology will eventually produce cheaper battery-packs that outlast the cars. Then, again, another power pack technology may appear.

It is very difficult to estimate the cost of running various cars but personally since I retired I only do about 6000 miles per year and the running costs are less important to me than whether I simply like the car.
A friend is involved in battery research and anticipates incremental improvements rather than revolutionary new solutions. The Toyota fuel cell car is interesting but pointless unless one lives near a hydrogen supply!
Our 12 year old Prius still is on its original batteries (except the 12 volt auxiliaries battery - it is on its 3rd now) with no sign of performance loss.
I must say my concern with a Tesla was only battery life until this pointless door handle was pointed out and their used price here seems high given that concern. It seems battery life and charge time are in mutual conflict. I understand the process of rapid charge leads to shorter battery life.

 

[cjf]

Leave it these tree hugging Hippies to over complicate something as simple as a door handle. Tesla = Overpriced Prius