Tesla Case Forces This Car To Change Door Handle Design To Improve Safety

Rivian R2 electric car. (Photo: Carnewschina)

JAKARTA The electric car manufacturer from the United States, Rivian, is certain to change the design of the door handle on the latest R2 model. This decision was taken following criticism of the high-tech door handle system which is considered risky in an emergency situation.

Rivian's move comes after a number of tragic cases involving Tesla vehicles, where passengers are reportedly caught in a burning car due to a complicated door mechanism. These conditions sparked public concern over safety features in modern electric cars.

According to a Bloomberg report, Saturday, October 4, the current R2 door handle is considered unuserative. To open the back door, passengers must first remove the panel and then pull the mechanical cable.

This design is considered difficult, especially when passengers are in a state of panic or emergency. In response to this, Rivian emphasized his commitment to safety.

'Security is at the heart of everything we do in Rivian, and R2 is no different. This latest electric crossover will meet or surpass all Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards, including the ability to exit passengers from all doors in accidents or emergencies," the company wrote in its official statement.

The issue of the design of this door handle also raises calls for new regulations. Center for Auto Safety Executive Director Michael Brooks assessed that the government needs to set universal standards regarding the vehicle emergency evacuation mechanism.

He emphasized that without clear rules, consumers will continue to be burdened with learning how to get out of each car with different systems. Previously, Tesla was redesigning the emergency door opening system for its cars.

This problem turned out not only to occur in an accident condition. According to an investigation launched by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), based on the owner's complaint report, some Tesla users even had to break their own car windows.

In a separate investigation, it was found that there were 140 incidents where people were trapped in Tesla cars due to problems with the door handle. Some of them even resulted in terrible injuries.

In response to this, Tesla's Head of Design, Franz von Holzhausen, revealed that his company is considering combining manual and electronic door opening mechanisms.

"The idea of combining electronic and manual ones is one button, I think, makes a lot of sense. It's something we're working on," he said, quoted by Carscoops.