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US probes Tesla's Full Self-Driving software after fatal crash

(www.reuters.com)
410 points jjulius | 1 comments | 18 Oct 24 16:01 UTC | HN request time: 0s | source
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daghamm ◴[18 Oct 24 16:14 UTC] No.41880780[source]▶
While at it, please also investigate why it is sometimes impossible to leave a damaged vehicle. This has resulted in people dying more than once:

https://apnews.com/article/car-crash-tesla-france-fire-be8ec...

replies(1): >>41880976 #
MadnessASAP ◴[18 Oct 24 16:31 UTC] No.41880976[source]▶
The why is pretty well understood, no investigation needed. I don't like the design but it's because the doors are electronic and people don't know where the manual release is.

In a panic people go on muscle memory, which is push the useless button. They don't remember to pull the unmarked unobtrusive handle that they may not even know exists.

If it was up to me, sure have your electronic release, but make the manual release a big handle that looks like the ejection handle on a jet (yellow with black stripes, can't miss it).

* Or even better, have the standard door handle mechanically connected to the latch through a spring loaded solenoid that disengages the mechanism. Thus when used under normal conditions it does the thing electronically but the moment power fails the door handle connects to the manual release.

replies(7): >>41881063 #>>41881784 #>>41881843 #>>41883134 #>>41885504 #>>41892894 #>>41895267 #
Clamchop ◴[18 Oct 24 17:49 UTC] No.41881784[source]▶
Or just use normal handles, inside and outside, like other cars. What they've done is made things worse by any objective metric in exchange for a "huh, nifty" that wears off after a few weeks.
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1. nomel ◴[18 Oct 24 18:22 UTC] No.41882071[source]▶
I think this is the way. Light pull does the electronic thing. Hard pull does the mechanical thing. They could have done this with the mechanical handle that's there already (that I have pulled almost every time I've used a Tesla, getting anger and weather stripping inspection from the owner).