[pengaru]

> Why do you have to manually lock a car door? I’ve never pressed the lock/unlock icon on the screen in 4 years of driving my Model 3.

Conveniently accessible manual door lock/unlock mechanisms become non-negotiable the moment your software-based power-dependent interface becomes inoperable, especially if that's during some emergent crisis like say a giant lithium battery letting the smoke out.

This isn't just some hypothetical:

https://stealthoptional.com/news/tesla-driver-trapped-in-bur...

[phreenet]

An emergency is a valid concern and I believe all cars, regardless of Tesla, that feature electronic (fancy) doors also feature physical escape latches. In the Model 3 you can pull up on a handle on the door to force the door open without the power required to first roll down the window to clear the weather seal this will also unlock the door as well.

From your own linked article:

> Juhta criticized the emergency protocol for Tesla’s electric cars, saying that it isn’t intuitive enough.

Which is kinda ironic to me considering anytime a new rider is in my car I make sure to tell them about pressing the small button to open the door because they seem to find that escape latch on their own and often think it's just a regular open door latch.

[pengaru]

> Which is kinda ironic to me considering anytime a new rider is in my car I make sure to tell them about pressing the small button to open the door because they seem to find that escape latch on their own and often think it's just a regular open door latch.

Is it the same in the Model Y from the article as your Model 3?

[judge2020]

It is, but the manual latch isn't on the door at all in the back seat, so passengers are unlikely to mix it up there.