"Door handles are arguably the most overly complicated design elements on electric cars as automakers root for futuristic designs, aerodynamic advantages and heavy cost-cutting. But a growing number of automakers are now redesigning them amid safety concerns and ongoing federal investigations. The upcoming Rivian R2, a direct competitor to the Tesla Model Y, will have an interior door handle design that's different from the current R1 models, Bloomberg reported on Friday, citing people familiar with the matter."
"Inside, things get trickier. The electronic release is a simple button near the armrest, but the manual backup isn't as intuitive. For front passengers, it sits just below the window switches, a few inches from the electronic release. It blends into the door trim so well that first-time riders might not even notice it. For rear passengers, it gets worse."
Rivian plans to redesign the R2 interior door handles to add a clearly visible manual release located close to the electronic release. Electronic door handles and hard-to-locate manual releases have been linked to fatal crashes and are subject to federal investigations. Rivian maintains its current design has caused no injuries. Owners have reported door handles failing to unlock or lock, prompting workarounds like lowering windows to manually unlock them. Rivian uses flush-fitting exterior handles that pop out when keyed, while some interior manual releases blend into trim and can be hard for passengers to find.
Read at insideevs.com
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