Arizona toddler rescued after getting trapped in a Tesla with a dead battery | The Model Y’s 12-volt battery, which powers things like the doors and windows, died

ForgottenFlux@lemmy.world to Technology@lemmy.world – 677 points –
Arizona toddler rescued after getting trapped in a Tesla with a dead battery
theverge.com
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According to a report from Arizona’s Family:

The 12-volt battery that powers the car’s electronics died without warning.

Tesla drivers are supposed to receive three warnings before that happens, but the Tesla service department confirmed that Sanchez didn’t receive any warnings.

Lead acid batteries are notoriously hard to predict when they will fail. Other OEMs also fail at this often.

Tesla upgraded to lithium 12V batts some time ago, which are much more predictable and last 2-3x longer.

What other oem hides the mechanical latch?

What makes you think I was referring to the latch?

You said other manufacturers fail at "this" referring to the 12v battery dying, but the context here is a child being trapped in a car when that battery fails. If the 12v battery fails on any other car you simply pull the handle and the door opens.

I was referring specifically to the failure to detect a dying 12V battery.

Ok fine, what other manufacturer traps someone inside when the battery fails?

You mentioned the hidden latch on another thread. Should I bring my question over there instead? I may conflated two discussions because you're up and down this post defending Tesla's boneheaded decisions.

"Should I bring my question over there instead?"

That's usually what people do so conversations can actually be followed and come in a logical order...

Ok fine, what other manufacturer traps someone inside when the battery fails?

I don't know. I don't understand why you're asking me this.

you're up and down this post defending Tesla's boneheaded decisions.

I have been both both critical and supportive of Tesla, depending on the topic of discussion. It's called being objective.

I don't know. I don't understand why you're asking me this.

Because this article is about someone being trapped in a car when the battery died, and saying "it's hard to tell when a battery is going to fail" skips over the fundamental problem of being unable to open the door when that happens.

It's not "skipping over" anything. I was not commenting on the door latches. I was commenting on a specific failure to do with the battery exclusively. I commented elsewhere that the latches a terrible and stupid design. Every car should have mechanical door latches, inside and out. If for no other reason than simplicity and reliability.

What? No they aren't. They almost always fail on a curve of power and voltage loss.

Also, I didn't look it up, but I'd be very surprised if the model Y tesla didn't require (suggest and oem?) an AGM battery. It's still lead, but due to how they're made they can't get a dead short in them like older regular lead acid batteries can once they get old, although it still isn't very common for it to happen.

Yes they are. I used to test them for a living. It's just a best guess.

No they aren't. They degrade before they fail. If tesla wanted to provide a warning of a failing battery that pretty much always worked it could have wired in a load test and went off voltage drop under a heavier load.

Testing if batteries are good or bad does not qualify a person to chart out battery degradation.

No they aren't.

Yes. They are. If they weren't, no one would have these problems. But they all do. I know everyone likes to pour over them with a microscope and drool over their flaws because they're Tesla, but many of the issues commonly attributed to them are common with all other OEMs, you just have a bunch of armchair engineers who don't know WTF they're talking about.

They degrade before they fail.

No shit

If tesla wanted to provide a warning of a failing battery that pretty much always worked it could have wired in a load test and went off voltage drop under a heavier load.

Once again, I did this for a living, for a decade. We would constantly have cars with failed batteries, we would bring them in, charge them up, test them, they would pass, we'd send them on their way, and they would fail again, and come back for replacement. Our load tests also tested the alternator.

I worked on BMWs for years and they would regularly come in with the same problem, with no warning, even though they had a similar detection algorithm that mostly worked.

Once again, I did this for a living, for a decade. We would constantly have cars with failed batteries, we would bring them in, charge them up, test them, they would pass, we'd send them on their way, and they would fail again

I also test batteries and this just looks like you all didn't test them well. Like you skipped the capacity test because it takes being hooked up for a long time instead of the test that takes 20 seconds to do.

Even if she did receive warnings, she's a grandmother who easily could miss one of the many messages on the car. It's just bad design.