Four dead in fire as Tesla doors fail to open after crash

Another similar incident happened around a week after that one: https://www.channel3000.com/news/dane-county-sheriffs-office... .

One thing to note is that the car doors in Teslas are electrically controlled and a different failsafe method of opening the doors is required when the electrical system isn't working. Here's the steps for manually opening the Model Y's rear doors (car in the story the post links to): https://www.tesla.com/ownersmanual/modely/en_us/GUID-AAD769C... and here's the steps for manually opening the Model S's rear doors (car in the story I linked to): https://www.tesla.com/ownersmanual/models/en_us/GUID-AAD769C... . Note that this involves removing the rear carpet in the Model S and the door pocket mat in the Model Y, and that the Model Y instructions note that some cars aren't even equipped with manual rear door releases. It seems like Tesla didn't account at all for what happens if passengers who aren't familiar with the car need to quickly exit in an emergency, especially if the driver's incapacitated and can't give them directions.

why are the doors electronically controlled to start with? is it cost savings?

A lot of cars have electronically controlled doors.

It’s due to the frameless windows. Opening the door requires the windows to roll down slightly to avoid damage to the outer trim.

The doors still have a mechanical release so there’s no cost savings involved. For the front door they’re right next to the electronic release. For the rear doors they’re hidden under the passenger door pocket.

Edit: to everyone replying I never said it was a necessity. I explained why they did it. I’m aware of alternate approaches.