this post was submitted on 29 Dec 2025
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It all depends on the details, I kid the article is blatantly wrong
I believe this is only the model s and x, a small minority of their vehicles.
My model y has a physically presented handle - you press on one side to pop out the other - NOT electronic self-presenting. I believe that’s true of model 3 and y, the vast majority of teslas.
That being said, there’s several things this may mean. Is it just the self-presenting they don’t like? What about buttons like on the cybertruck? What about the manual operated handle like on the model 3 and y? Or is the important part the electronic latch mechanism internally? I have no idea what safety features that has.
If it’s literally just the self-presenting handles on the high end models like the article mentions, that’s probably no big deal. They don’t sell many of those and the model x especially is way overdue for redesign or to be ended. Hopefully it’s more than that though
I still feel the handles where you have to press to make it appear are unintuitive and an example of form over safety. I have used them in Ubers and I always have a quarter second remembering how to open them. I don't want a first responder to have to deal with that delay.
Yeah I’ve noticed people take a bit to figure it out even after I explain it. But as an owner it quickly becomes natural. It’s not all that different to use that a standard handle - the older style that used to have a button on the handle. As long as you use the correct hand, your thumb is ready to press exactly as if there were a button, then the jangle pops out and your hand is there to grab it exactly as the old style to pull after pressing the button
But I guess my main issue here is not all teslas are the same, so it’s important to be specific and precise.
Given that the underlying cause is trying to make a “Software Defined Vehicle” (SDV) I have to imagine most of the Chinese EVs have similar implementation. There’s also a fairness concern: are they specifically targeting Tesla or are they actually concerned about safety across all similar implementations?
The article doesn’t single out Tesla. They call it Tesla-style since they pioneered this kind of design and most Americans associate Tesla with it, but as the article mentions, in China, various brands have adopted that motorized retractable handle setup, or the push to expose handle of the Model 3, or the complete lack of handle like the Cybertruck. I was in a couple EVs when I visited China and each time was completely mystified on how to get in the car, lol. Because these retracting handles are not standardized, it produces hazards, such as when people are rushing to pull a driver from a sinking or burning car, when every second counts.