China's banning Tesla-style door handles

[Monty]

China’s banning hidden door handles.

China is banning hidden door handles on all cars sold in the country, becoming the first country in the world to target the feature – which was popularized by Tesla but has for years drawn concern over safety risks.

The hidden door handles are a signature feature of Tesla’s vehicles, and the ban comes as Elon Musk’s company reports declining worldwide sales and struggles with fierce competition in China, its second-biggest market.

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In a statement released Monday, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology cited “the inconvenience with operating the exterior door handles and their inability to open after an accident,” and laid out specific requirements for how these handles should function.

Exterior door handles should have enough space for a hand to operate its mechanical release from any angle. And interior handles should be “clearly visible from the corresponding occupant’s position,” it said.

The new rules come into effect on January 1, 2027.

I think I’m going to go with this is a good rule.

[Velocity]

Good. I still can’t see a single good reason why Tesla had to use door handles like that, except a stubborn “We’re going to be different just to be different.”

[Bullitt]

It is a good rule. Sleek design is one thing, and can be good. But those hidden handles is just stooopid.

[Monty]

That’s how I feel about those doors that open straight up to the sky (gull wings?). They might look cool, but what happens when they don’t work?

[Tatterdemalion]

This:

Billionaire Angela Chao, sister-in-law of Mitch McConnell, died after Tesla...

She drove her Tesla into a pond and couldn’t get out after the electrical system died.

[Der_Trihs]

@Monty

That’s how I feel about those doors that open straight up to the sky (gull wings?). They might look cool, but what happens when they don’t work?

Looking them up they have some potential issues, but nothing as bad as the Tesla. And have actual benefits, like being able to open the door when something is closer to the car than a conventional door would allow.

Also, unlike Musk and his Tesla some effort was actually put into dealing with the potential problems with the design.