Ahh yes, the casket cars which you can’t open from the inside if they lose power.
Edit: The rear doors do not have a mechanical lever, so you have to leave through the front doors in an emergency.
Should my kids and any other passengers also RTFM before getting in the car?
If it’s your car, then you are responsible for the safety of your passengers. You should ensure that any adults are aware of how to use the safety features, e.g. seatbelts, and you have a plan for evacuation of any children in the event of an emergency. Just like if you’re driving a car with child safety locks on the rear doors that prevent those doors from being opened from the inside.
Hate on Tesla or Musk all you want, but let’s not spread easily-disprovable FUD. It weakens whatever argument you’re trying to make.
I have many objections to Musk and Tesla, but I bought a used Model 3 before learning about all the insanity. The doors are designed to open with power, it’s true; this is because they were built without a top frame, apparently to reduce weight, so the powered button lowers the window as the door opens to avoid damaging the glass.
However, there is an emergency lever (that would be easy to miss for sure) that just mechanically opens the door with no need for power. I have used this once to make sure it works and can confirm it exists and functions. Presumably, this is true of the Model Y as well; I can’t imagine that a vehicle could pass any kind of inspection if there were no way to get out without power.
In an emergency, everyone needs to get out of the car, not just the owner who has looked up where the hidden leaves are in advance.
I would think that in most emergencies the owner can assist others in the car no?
I agree. My intent is not to defend the design, only to explain that the car does not physically prevent you from opening the doors. If it did, I doubt it could legally have gone to market, though I’ve been disappointed before.
In the case of my car, it’s actually primarily for my wife. She has a cricut and printed out stickers indicating the various hidden ways to interact with the car.
Also, in my experience, almost every adult who has tried to open the door from within has asked what would happen if the battery died, so after their first time exiting they theoretically know how to exit in an emergency.
Not a good design or UX - Tesla is way too obsessed with minimalism - but not automatically a casket.
